Child of Magic
by Nikani
Summary: This is the next story that started with "What's in a Name."  After the events of 4th year, everyone is looking forward to a summer off.  Sirius has plans for Harry that may have magical ramifications no one expected...
1. Chapter 1

Here, finally, is the next installment in the series that began with "What's in a Name". As stated in those, this is a fictional story that is AU. This means that the people you see belong to JK Rowling, but I have taken some liberties with their behaviors, personalities, and interactions with their world.

This is also a father/son relationship fic between Sirius and Harry. If you don't like seeing Harry getting much needed hugs and affection from the people around him, this may not be the story for you. I prefer to think that the time spent in Azkaban matured Sirius so that he could give his godson the father-figure he needed.

Also, in my stories, Severus Snape is a longtime friend of the Marauders and has given up being a spy in order to help his friends raise Harry into the powerful wizard he needs to be.

Reviews are always nice, but keep in mind that anonymous flames will be deleted. I try to answer each review as it comes in and use constructive criticism to improve where I can. I can't please all of the people all of the time, no matter what I write, so bear in mind that people read for enjoyment!

I do not study Latin, so please forgive any mistakes you find there, nor did I find a great deal of information on certain things touched upon in the story, so I came up with my own…

Part 1

"Harry."

There was no response from the lump under the light blanket, so Remus tried again with a little more volume, "Harry!"

Ah! A slight twitch could be seen, giving the man hope, so this time he decided to try shaking the lump a bit while calling out, "Harry! Come on, time to wake up."

"Stew ery, lemme slee."

Having not spoken the language of sleepy teen for a while, it took him a minute to puzzle the comment out, "It isn't too early and you've slept half the morning away already. Rise and shine, cub!"

Bleary green eyes finally appeared from under the cover, "But, Remus, it's summer break! The FIRST DAY of summer break! I thought I could sleep in at least one day."

He patted the teen's shoulder, "You did sleep in, Harry; it's going on nine and you need to eat something before it gets any later."

The teenager grumbled softly but began making the effort to get up. Since defeating Voldemort and lapsing into a coma-like state that took him a week to awaken from, Harry was constantly being handed something to eat or drink by his family and friends. The medi-witch at Hogwarts had told them that he would need to eat a lot to help his body completely recover from the shock it had gone through during the final battle.

Once he was on his feet and heading in the direction of the bathroom, Remus set a course for the door leading out of Harry's rooms, "I'll see you downstairs in fifteen minutes, cub; bring your appetite."

The boy muttered a response; for once he wasn't really concerned with being coherent. He stilled tired out easily and his body was telling him that it felt like he needed some extra rest. Maybe he could catch a nap this afternoon or go to bed a little earlier tonight.

Sixteen minutes later, Harry walked into the kitchen where he found three men that made up his family gathered. Remus was putting food on a plate for the young wizard, Severus was sitting at the table facing the doorway sipping a cup of tea while he read the paper, and Sirius was seated with his back to the boy as he finished a piece of toast. Harry walked over to stand behind his godfather and leaned lightly against the man with a huge yawn, "Morning, everyone."

Remus turned with a smile and hovered his plate over to the empty seat next to the canine animagus along with a large glass of pumpkin juice. Severus greeted him softly before returning to the news as Sirius gently tugged him out from behind him and to his chair. Harry slumped into it and accepted the fork he was handed, "Thank you for breakfast, Moony."

"You're welcome, cub; dig in before it gets cold."

Once he was done eating and starting to swallow the last of his juice, Sirius took a deep breath, turned to the boy, and let out a bark of laughter. When Harry had noticed that his godfather was getting ready to say something that appeared to be important, he had instinctively frozen his movements. Which meant the glass he'd just taken a drink from was about an inch from his mouth which was still full of juice where he hadn't swallowed yet. Harry's cheeks were puffed out from the large amount of fluid he'd been about to swallow and he was sorely tempted to spit it all over his godfather in retaliation for laughing at him. However, good sense prevailed, and instead he swallowed and made a face at the chuckling man.

"Sorry, pup, but the look on your face was priceless." He rested one large hand on the boy's shoulder, "I do need to talk to you about something, if you're completely done with breakfast."

Harry nodded and rose to follow the tall man out of the kitchen and down to the library. Rather than sitting at the desk, Sirius led Harry over to a couch placed in front of one of the fireplaces in the room and sat the boy down. Instead of sitting with him, Sirius began pacing in front of Harry with nervous energy.

Finally, the teen leaned forward and caught the adult wizard's arm as he passed, "Siri? What is it? Is it something that bad?"

Sirius heaved a sigh and dropped down to his knees in front of the child, "No, Harry; it's nothing bad. I have something to ask you and I'm not exactly sure what your reaction is going to be."

"Just ask me, then, Sirius, don't drag it out."

Grey eyes met green as the man lifted one hand to push untidy black hair back off the boy's forehead, "Harry, you know how much I love you, right?"

He nodded, "Of course, Sirius, I love you, too."

"And you know that I would never do anything on purpose that would hurt you either physically or emotionally?"

"Yes." A quiver of fear ran through Harry. Was Sirius telling him this because he was planning on sending Harry away for some reason? Had Dumbledore or Fudge told the man that he was going to have to give up custody of his godson?

Sirius pushed himself to his feet again and resumed his pacing, "I know that I am only your godfather, not your real father. I know that I could never take James' place in your life."

Harry watched him warily and murmured so softly that not even the sharp-eared canine animagus heard him, "I don't even remember James, so you would be the only father I know." Deep in his heart, the boy was whispering, 'Don't give me up; oh please, please, don't give me up. I couldn't bear to lose you after waiting so long for someone to love me!"

"But I do have your best interests at heart and I want to make sure that you are taken care of and protected while you're still a minor. Plus, you need to learn some things about wizarding society that have been neglected. Things that would have been taught to you growing up, had you lived with James and Lily, or me if I hadn't been sent to Azkaban." He whirled to continue his pacing in another direction and nearly ran over his godson who had stood up and stepped in front of him. Sirius caught the teen by the shoulders to steady both of them, "Merlin, Harry, are you trying to get bowled over?"

His hands came up to wrap around the man's forearms, "Sirius, please, just tell me. You're scaring me." The look in his green eyes was unmistakable: pure terror. The adolescent was petrified of whatever it was Sirius wasn't telling him.

Sirius responded instantly by pulling the child into his chest for a hug, "I'm sorry, Harry, the last thing I ever want to do is frighten you." After holding him for a moment, and feeling him relax a bit in his arms, the man took hold of his shoulders once again so he could look into the emerald eyes, "Harry, I know that I can never be James, but I would like to officially adopt you and name you as my heir." When Harry opened his mouth, Sirius panicked and pulled him in for another hug, preventing him from actually giving an answer just yet. "You don't have to answer right now; just think about it for a couple of days…or weeks…you can even mull it over for a month or so…!"

Placing his hands on the man's chest, Harry pushed back slightly so he could look up at his godfather, "Sirius, stop. There's nothing for me to think about. I've said it before and I will say it again, this time loud enough for you to hear me: I don't remember James Potter. You are the only man I have every truly looked at as a father-figure. You are the only man I would accept as a father. Yes, Sirius, I would like to be officially adopted by you and love to be able to call you my dad."

Sirius stared down into the boy's tear-glazed eyes and realized that his own were eyes were filling as well. He drew the teen against his chest one more time and let the tears flow, "I love you so much, Harry. Thank you for giving me this gift."

Wrapping his arms around the trim waist of his soon-to-be-father, Harry buried his face in the man's robes, "No, Siri, thank _you_ for being there for me and for wanting me in your life. I love you more than I can ever express."

They stood, enveloped in each other's love and acceptance, for several minutes until a soft voice interrupted and drawled, "So, does this mean that he's accepted your proposal, Black?"

Sirius exploded with his bark-like laugh as he released the teen and turned to face the doorway, "Only you, Snape, would make it sound like something it shouldn't and isn't!"

The potions master flashed a quick smile at them as Remus crowded him into the room, both men wanting to know how things had gone. Sirius kept one arm around the youngster's shoulders as they walked over to the two men and he responded, "Yes, Harry has agreed to the adoption. As soon as I can get the paperwork taken care of, it will be official."

"It already is, in my mind," Harry stated as he leaned into the taller man's side, relief making him feel a little weak. He was so grateful, and a bit shocked, that Sirius wanted to take this step. Harry knew it was going to be a big responsibility for the man to suddenly become the instant father to a nearly fifteen year old. The two of them were going to have a lot of challenges ahead of them as they learned their way through this new relationship.

Sirius sent a formal letter to the ministry requesting whatever forms were needed for him to formally adopt one Harry James Potter and name him as heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Black. He then sat down with Harry after sending the letter and went over the Black Family Tree with him. The boy silently thanked Merlin that he hadn't actually been born into the family seeing as they had a tendency to name their children after stars, constellations, and, apparently, by throwing some Scrabble tiles on the table and rearranging the letters to suit them. Honestly, where else could they have some up with a name like Debeveraline Klainintus Black?

They also talked in depth about what it would mean for Harry to become a peer of the wizarding world. When he reached his majority, Harry would be able to start attending meetings of the Wizengamot as the Potter family representative with Sirius as his guide and advisor. He would have a say in the court proceedings that came before the group as well as a vote on various laws the ministry wanted to put into effect. When his soon-to-be-father passed away, hopefully many, many years in the future, Harry would have two votes as head of both powerful houses. Though Sirius chuckled at the thought of spending much time there unless it was something important; they were mostly made up of "ancient sorcerers with more gray hair than sense who had absolutely nothing else to do besides sit around and try to look important, at least when they weren't falling asleep" according to the canine animagus.

Harry was also shown the ring that would become his as heir; an antique circle of silver that displayed a flawless diamond surrounded by tiny onyx stones, emblazoned with the Black family's coat of arms. The family motto in Latin had once been _Semper meracus _meaning _Always pure_ to symbolize their allegiance to the pure-blooded attitudes of most old families, but it had been changed as purity of blood became more and more scarce; now the inside of the ring was engraved with the words _Priscus sapientia, invictus dominatus_ which translated into _Ancient wisdom, unconquered power._

"My ancestor wanted to convey how truly powerful the Black family was; we can trace our lineage back almost two thousand years and are related to Merlin himself as well as several of the great Ladies of Avalon, including Vivienne and Morgan le Fay. There are books and old scrolls in the family vaults that I will show you sometime that date back forever, it seems," Sirius told the boy. "We have always been one of the more magical families in the wizarding world, so have the Potters; that's why there have been several marriages over the ages between the two families. Somewhere in history, you and I are actually blood relatives somehow; we'll have to look into that to see just how if you want to know."

Harry turned his head to meet his godfather's questioning gaze, "It might be interesting to look into, but right now, all that matters to me is how we are going to be related soon."

Hugging the boy tightly to his side, Sirius dropped rough kiss on top of the teen's head, "Me, too, Harry; me, too."

After leaning into the man's embrace for a several minutes, Harry finally asked softly, "Do you know what the Potter family motto was?"

Grinning down at the boy, Sirius chuckled, "Of course I do. Remember, I told you how your grandparents all but adopted me when James and I were teenagers. The Potter family motto is _Non nobis sed omnibus: Not for ourselves, but for all_."

Harry nodded in understanding. It was a good motto to live by, though he also understood the Black family's motto as well. He was Potter by blood, but soon to be Black by adoption, so he would need to walk a fine line between the two beliefs.

Standing in the doorway listening to the two as they talked, Severus could see that Harry was contemplative as he mulled over the Latin phrases and their meanings. The potions master shook his head slightly, knowing that the boy didn't have the first clue just how much he had of each family within him already. As Sirius had stated the Potters and Blacks were intensely magical families; James and Sirius had been the most powerful and intelligent of all their schoolmates, prompting the need to teach them stern control so they didn't accidently destroy something in a fit of juvenile hormones.

So far, Harry had proven himself a more than worthy heir to the Potter magic, he already eclipsed James in certain aspects. While Lily had been muggle-born, she had been very bright and a natural when it came to certain areas of magic. Any child born of those two would have been strong magically; and combining that with the potency in the Black family, as well as the remnants of power left behind in the boy from Voldemort, would mean a culmination of magical supremacy unheard of since the time of Merlin himself. They would have to make sure that Harry received the essential teachings to maintain control at all times.

Severus made a mental note to chat with Sirius about training Harry and talking to him about how much his magic would grow over the next few years.

"Problem, Onyx?"

He turned to face the werewolf behind him, "Not at all, Moony; I was just wondering what we're getting ourselves into by having Sirius adopt Harry and join the bloodlines. I don't believe that there has been a member of the Black or Potter families as intensely powerful as Sirius and James. What will happen when those abilities are combined into one already magically strong child?"

The man's amber eyes widened slightly, "I don't think that any of us thought about that ahead of time, did we? I remember the struggles James and Sirius had in trying to control their magic when they were young. I know we've always enjoyed a challenge, but this may be going a bit overboard. Any suggestions?"

Severus turned to study the dark heads seated beside each other on the couch and tapped his chin with one long finger, "Possibly. But I will need to talk to Padfoot first to see if he happens to still have a particular painting in his possession."

"If it's the one I think you're talking about, then the answer is yes, he still has it safely tucked away in the deepest of the Black family vaults at Gringott's."

"Excellent," Severus murmured. "When they are done talking I will suggest that he get in touch with the bank and make an appointment to retrieve it as soon as possible."


	2. Chapter 2

PART 2

After lunch, Harry talked about going flying for a bit, something that Sirius was more than ready to join in. Severus suggested that Remus join the child in the air for the moment, while he dragged the canine animagus to a private study to talk. When they were done, the Transfiguration teacher borrowed Snape's owl and sent it off with a letter to Gringott's requesting an appointment to access his vaults as soon as possible and for an accounting of all the vaults that belonged to him or were being held in trust for Harry.

Once that was taken care of, the two men joined Remus and Harry in the air and played several games of tag that went on for nearly two hours. When they returned to the house, Harry excused himself to go to his room for a much needed nap, leaving the three men free to follow their own interests and hobbies until dinner. The evening passed comfortably and Harry looked forward to visiting the wizarding bank with Sirius sometime in the next few days.

Harry was up much earlier the next morning and felt quite a bit better after a long night's sleep and the nap he'd taken the day before. As usual, he didn't beat Severus up so he wasn't surprised to enter a kitchen filled with sumptuous smells and swirling food items as the man utilized his magic to create breakfast for the little family. The teen slipped into a chair while the potions master was directing a knife to chop of some fresh fruit and grinned when a glass filled itself with pumpkin juice from the refrigerator and plunked down in front of him.

After taking an appreciative swallow of the fresh drink, Harry looked up to meet the glittering obsidian eyes of his professor with a cheerful, "Thank you, sir; and good morning. What smells so good in here?"

Sev smiled warmly down at the apprentice, "You're very welcome, good morning to you, and I'm making scrambled eggs with veggies and bacon, fried potatoes, and some fresh fruit. Sound good?"

"Very!"

The wizard chuckled softly at the boy's appreciative response, "Why don't you head upstairs and see if you can rouse your godfather and uncle. Consider waking Remus this morning to be payback for getting you up so early yesterday."

Harry's green eyes lit up in eager anticipation at those words and Sev suppressed a shudder at what the boy might have in mind. Excusing himself quickly, the young man hustled upstairs and made a beeline for the werewolf's bedroom, opening the door as quietly as possible. Remus possessed supernatural hearing because of his curse so it made it very hard to sneak up on him. However, Harry hoped that he was in luck since the full moon was only a few days away and Remus usually slept much more heavily a few days before and after his change.

Peaking into the bedroom, he found his honorary uncle sprawled facedown in his bed with his head buried under a pillow. Moving soundlessly, Harry approached the sleeping figure and cautiously lifted the blanket from the end of the bed, revealing a pair of very ticklish feet. He knew they were ticklish because Sirius had groused once that his feet were the only thing on Remus that were. And not just a little, Remus Lupin acted as if a tickling charm had been cast on him when someone started in on his bare feet.

With an evil grin, Harry very lightly poked the bottom of the left foot and was instantly rewarded when it jerked away abruptly. After a few seconds, it slowly returned to its former place and Harry poked it again. This time, it was pulled away and a soft grumble was heard from under the pillow before it returned. Turning his attention to the other foot, the boy lightly ran one finger across the sole from heel to toes which triggered a retreat of the target and a louder grumble.

When Remus slowly returned to his former pose and both feet were in striking range, Harry used his fingers to tickle them at the same time. THAT got a reaction!

The werewolf reared out of bed with a snarling roar as he yanked his abused feet away from their tormenter. He ripped the pillow away from his face as he turned over to face the end of the bed and caught a glimpse of a slender black-haired teenager racing out of his room cackling in evil delight for having gotten the better of his uncle. Unable to resist the happy laughter, Remus shook his head ruefully as a soft chuckle escaped him.

Harry quickly stifled his mirth so he didn't give himself away to his next victim as he made his way to his godfather's bedroom. Entering softly, he spotted Sirius stretched out on his back with his right arm partially hanging off the side of the bed and long black hair obscuring his face. With a devious smirk, the teen slipped over to the side of the bed leaned over the sleeping man, intending to use the long mane to tickle the animagus on his patrician nose. His fingers barely brushed a lock of hair when the arm dangling suddenly came alive and wrapped around the boy. In a swift, smooth movement, Harry was caught by Sirius' arm as the man rolled away from him, pulling the teen across his godfather's body and onto the bed where he was promptly pinned in place. He could make out the man's grinning face through the long hair partially blinding him.

"No fair!" he squeaked.

"Fair? Was it so fair of you to try to sneak up on me and use my own hair as a tickling tool? I don't think so!"

Harry loved the sound of his godfather's voice. Soft and rich, very aristocratic but not cool. Slightly husky at the moment from sleep, but warm and filled with a wealth of affection and tenderness. The boy felt as if he were wrapped warm folds of velvet whenever Sirius hugged him and told Harry how much he loved his godson. The youngster simply relaxed, trusting in the man's love that he would never be harmed, and soaked up this time alone without demands on either of them.

A toss of his head shifted Sirius' long mane to one side and out of Harry's face, "Good morning, puppy mine. What brings you to my den?"

"Sev asked me to come upstairs and get you and Remus out of bed. Breakfast is almost ready."

Rolling back over, and easily bringing the boy with him, Sirius gently nudged the kid to a standing position and then rose himself with a huge stretch and yawn. One large hand lightly pushed Harry towards the doorway, "I'll be down in a few, pup. Go guard my plate from Remus, will you?"

Harry laughed, "More likely I'll need to guard _his _plate from _you_."

The adult wizard flashed him a grin and waved him on before making his way to the bathroom to prepare for the day. Shaking his head at his godfather's back, Harry bounced out of the room and back down to the kitchen.

Glancing up from his spot at the stove, Sev smirked at the boy, "Fortunately for you, we live in an area that has no neighbors. Otherwise, anyone within a 20 mile radius would have heard Moony's roar when you woke him. What did you do to incite such a reaction?"

Harry raised his hands and flexed his fingers several times as he returned his professor's smirk with one of his own, "Just call me the tickle master from now on."

A deep chuckle started in the potion master's chest and within seconds erupted into outright laughter. Harry couldn't help but join in; it was so rare that Severus Snape let go and laughed with such abandon that when he did, it infected everyone around him.

Once he gained some semblance of control again, the man began floating the meal he'd prepared over to the table and Harry quickly gathered plates and forks to set out, then poured glasses of orange juice for the adults and refilled his own with pumpkin juice. He'd just set the last glass on the table when the other adults in the house joined them and settled at the table. Breakfast was a quiet affair this morning with Severus reading the paper and Remus not eating much due to the coming full moon.

Watching his honorary uncle push his eggs and fried potatoes around the plate, only actually eating the fresh fruit with any sign of relish, Harry reached over unobtrusively and nudged the man's full glass of orange juice closer to him. Remus smiled his thanks at the child as he drained the glass. One thing most of them could count on to keep some weight on the werewolf was his sweet tooth. Whether it was chocolate or fruit juice or something filled with sugar, the sweeter the better in his opinion.

When Sirius snagged part of the paper to read as well, Harry stole a quick glance to make sure he and Snape were well occupied before getting up and softly saying, "Here, Moony, let me get you some more to drink." Since the men were accustomed to Harry being so helpful, none of them thought much of it and neither reader even rustled their paper as they continued to read. With a triumphant grin, Harry grabbed the glass and Remus' empty fruit plate and opened the refrigerator door. He filled the glass with icy cold milk and stealthily cut a large piece of chocolate cake from dessert the night before to put on the plate. Returning to the table, he placed both in front of the man with a conspirator's smile.

The werewolf's jaw dropped when he saw the cake settle in front of him along with a glass of milk. Looking up, he saw the smile on the boy's face and could not resist an answering smirk as he mouthed a thank you. Eagerly, and with far more relish than he had shone with the rest of the meal, Remus took up his fork and dug into the moist confection.

Pleased to see the man eating something, Harry gathered up the empty plates and utensils from in front of Sev and Sirius and carried them over to the sink where he started doing dishes. Severus finished reading the story that had caught his eye and lowered the paper to take a drink from his juice glass. One black eyebrow rose when he caught sight of his sandy-haired friend in the middle of licking the last of the chocolate icing from his plate.

Trying for a casual air, Remus set the plate back down on the table and smiled, "Breakfast was good, Onyx, thank you for cooking."

Obsidian eyes fixed themselves on the full plate of scrambled eggs and fried potatoes still in front of the other man then lifted to his face. A very faint smile quirked one corner of his stern lips as he extended a napkin and said, "You seem to have a bit of chocolate on your face, Moony; must have been left over from last night."

Sirius lowered his own paper and studied the two men for a moment before he retreated back behind the newsprint. Harry turned in time to see the paper begin to rattle violently as his godfather tried in vain to stem his laughter. He looked over at Remus who wiped his mouth nonchalantly and rose to bring his plates to the sink. That was when Harry realized what the two men found so humorous. When Remus had been licking the remnants off the plate, some of the chocolate frosting had found its way to his nose.

Taking the plates from the werewolf, Harry also took the napkin and bit his lip for a moment before saying, "Hold still a minute, Remus." He wet the napkin quickly and swiped at the man's nose before handing it back to him to throw away. Remus groaned softly when he realized the jig was up and his friends knew exactly what he'd had for breakfast. Now all he could do was try to run interference so Harry didn't get fussed at for feeding him dessert for breakfast.

Turning back to the table, Remus placed on thin hand on the potion master's shoulder, "It wasn't anything to do with your cooking, Sev, I just couldn't make myself eat anything but the fruit this morning…"

Severus reached to catch hold of his friend's hand, "Remus, stop. I already know that, I'm just sorry that I didn't pay closer attention and realize that you were in need of something else for your meal. Sirius and I, of all the people in this world, should know you well enough by now to make sure you're eating what you need at this time."

Having folded his paper and set it down when Remus began his apology, Sirius joined in the conversation, "You're not so shy you can't speak up when we do something stupid, Moony. Right before and right after the full moon, you need to stoke your body with carbs because you burn through so many the night you transform. I'm just glad that Harry was paying attention and thought to give you something different, and I apologize as well for not being more sensitive."

Blinking hard to prevent the tears burning his eyes from falling, Remus Lupin smiled a bit tremulously at his friends. Harry appeared at his side and leaned against him in a show of support and he wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders, "I don't deserve any of you."

Sirius sniffed contemptuously and snuck his nose in the air, "Of course you don't, Moony. And why we put up with you is beyond anyone's understanding."

When the werewolf's wand appeared, Harry made a run for it, cackling as he did, as the hexing war began.


	3. Chapter 3

PART 3

Harry was seated on the floor in the library with his books and parchment spread out across the coffee table as he worked on his summer homework. He planned on getting it all done early this year so he wouldn't have to stress over it as the summer waned. Sirius was behind the massive desk that overpowered the room with its dark mahogany wood going over accounts from his many estates to make sure everything was in order.

The windows behind the handsome man and at the other end of the library were open to let the soft breeze flow through the room bringing with it the scents of blooming flowers and freshly trimmed grass. It also allowed the large tawny owl to enter the room and settle itself on a perch situated beside the desk.

When Sirius lifted his head, he met the owl's gleaming yellow/orange eyes and smiled, "Hello, pretty one, do you have something for me?"

Preening herself a bit at the flattery, the owl extended her leg so Sirius could remove the thick envelope attached to it. He did so gently and offered her an owl treat from the bin he kept on the desk for just such an occasion. After nibbling his finger lightly, the bird accepted the treat and launched herself smoothly back out the window.

Settling back into the comfortable leather chair, the mage opened the envelope and scanned the documents within, then reread them a little more thoroughly. Changing position, he reached for a blank piece of parchment and his quill and began making various notations as he flipped back and forth between the thick stack from the envelope. When he was finished, he studied the notes carefully for several long minutes before sighing softly to himself in satisfaction.

Attuned to his godfather's moods, even from the middle of the room, Harry looked up from his potions homework and caught the intense look in the man's grey eyes. After marking his place for later, he rose and approached the desk, "Siri? Is everything alright?"

Focusing on the teenager, Sirius smiled, "Yes, Harry, things are fine. I just got a bit of a surprise from Gringott's, that's all."

"What kind of a surprise?"

He beckoned the child around the furniture and invited him to sit in a chair he summoned to his side. Once Harry was ensconced, he shuffled through the parchment from the bank and laid things out in a particular order, "I asked the goblins to give me an accounting of all of the Black family vaults that are under my control as well as everything being held in trust for you from the Potter family." He pointed to the first stack of papers, "This is everything that belongs to me personally as Lord Black; and this," he pulled out the parchment he had made notes on, "is what it's all worth; which was quite a bit more than I actually expected."

Harry's jaw dropped. Never in his life had he seen a number that high let alone pertaining to someone's bank account! Aunt Petunia would have had a litter of kittens if she'd seen this.

"Now this," the man continued pointing to the next stack, "is what is actually from the Malfoy Estates. Since Draco's father is no longer Lord, their fortune reverts to me since Narcissa was born into the Black family and her son isn't old enough. I will be holding this in trust for Draco until he comes of age."

The amount Sirius pointed to was a drop in the bucket compared to the Black family wealth, but it was still a huge number. Harry looked up at his godfather, "I don't think Malfoy or his mother is going to be too happy about that."

Shaking his dark mane out of his eyes, Sirius chuckled, "Actually, they're fine with it. I spoke with Cissy before the end of school and she understood what was happening. I also made sure that she can access the vault for anything that they need; within reason, of course. Should someone attempt to obtain over a certain amount, the goblins will alert me immediately for approval."

Harry nodded his understanding. He truly hoped that Draco was accepting all this since he really didn't want to spend the rest of his school years battling the young Slytherin and they seemed to reach an accord after disembarking the Hogwart's train the other day.

Scooping up the final stack, the man placed it in front of Harry, "Now, this represents all the vaults being held in trust for you as the Potter heir and this is what it amounts to; again, much more than I expected." He pointed to another figure on his parchment and Harry nearly fell out of his chair.

"That's mine?" he squeaked.

Sirius chuckled, "Not quite yet, but it will be."

Harry stared at the number for a long minute while his godfather let him think it over. It wasn't quite as large as the Black family's total, but it was still completely overwhelming to know that he would one day have so much.

Finally, the canine animagus reached over and tapped the child's chin, prompting him to look up. When he did, Sirius met his gaze squarely, "Harry, I promise that I will teach you all you need to know to properly manage your money. If you're smart with finances, you can easily increase your holdings; and I was taught by one of the best how to be a good administer with my resources."

The teen nodded and made himself focus on the Potter accounts so he could be more familiar with them, "I thought that there was only the one vault Hagrid took me to at the beginning of first year to get some galleons out for school. I never dreamed that there was more."

"I would imagine that is the vault that your parents set aside for your schooling. It would be the only one that Dumbledore would have been able to have the key for as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He probably isn't aware of just how many vaults you have or what is in them." Sirius pulled out another piece of parchment, "We have an appointment tomorrow at 9:00am with Gringott's to go through each of the vaults and give you a chance to become more familiar with them."

That afternoon, another owl arrived as they were cleaning up from lunch and made its way unerringly for Sirius to hold out an imperious leg. He offered it some chicken that had been left over as he removed the envelope and it accepted the food as his due before taking wing back out the open window. Harry stiffened slightly from his place at the sink where he was washing dishes.

It was a letter from the Ministry of Magic.

Sitting back down at the table, Sirius studied the lettering on the envelope for a moment before slipping his finger under the flap and popping it open. He drew out the creamy parchment and unfolded it, eyes scanning the words several times before what was written actually penetrated his brain. He refolded the parchment neatly, placed it back into the envelope, and rose gracefully to his feet.

Harry turned to face him as he dried his hands on a towel and his heart plummeted to his feet when he saw the solemn expression on his godfather's face. Without a word, the man held out the envelope and, after Harry accepted it, turned away to stare out the window. Remus and Severus exchanged looks of concern, knowing from their friend's reaction that it must be bad news.

Opening the parchment carefully, Harry began reading to himself the words that announced his fate once and for all:

_**FROM THE**_

_**MINISTRY OF MAGIC**_

_**Department of Children's Services **_

_**Official Notice of the Legal Adoption **_

_**Of a Magical Minor**_

_This department received notification from Lord Sirius Orion Black, Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, of his intentions to formally adopt and name as Heir Apparent his Godson one Harry James Potter, Heir Presumptive of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter._

_Said prospective adoptee, aged fourteen as of the writing of this certificate, is here forth to be known as Harry James Potter-Black, Heir of the House of Potter upon reaching the age of his majority, and Heir to the House of Black upon the death of the current Lord Black. _

_Once this official document is signed and sealed with the blood of Lord Sirius Black, Harry Potter, and two witnesses of magical bloodlines, the adoption is finalized and cannot be rescinded. _

_As this is a Blood Adoption, both parties will contract with a Potions Master or Mistress of impeccable reputation for the preparation of the Blood Brew after the signing of this document to finalize the joining of the Bloodlines._

Slowly, Harry looked up from the parchment to stare at the back of his godfather's head, "Sirius…does this mean what I think it means…?"

The man turned to face him, a smile gradually lifting his lips and lighting his eyes, "If you think it means that once you sign that paper you are officially my son, then yes. That is exactly what it means."

Harry launched himself across the intervening space and into the ready, open arms of his soon-to-be father. Sirius held him tightly to his chest, one hand buried in the boy's dark hair while the other wrapped around his waist. The teen locked his arms around the man's neck and clung to him as tears of joy slipped freely down his face.

On the other side of the kitchen, Remus dashed his own tears away. He was elated that these two finally had each other and knew that no one deserved to find such happiness more than this pair. Severus smiled with pride and satisfaction, knowing that this was just the beginning of life for the duo, and he was pleased to be a part of it.

When they broke apart, the other two men approached to offer their own hugs and words of congratulations. Finally, Harry held out the parchment, "So what do we need to do?"

Sirius took the paper and placed it on the table as he summoned a quill to his hand from another room, "You and I need to sign it in the presence of two witnesses who are wizards and they will also need to sign it. Once that is done, we each will let a drop of our blood fall on the signatures and that will seal the document and make it completely binding."

With a beautiful flourish, Sirius signed his name, and then handed the quill to Harry who didn't hesitate in the slightest in adding his own. Despite the fact that Remus was a werewolf, he was also a wizard from pureblood ancestry on his father's side and so able to sign as witness along with Severus. The potions master then took a small, very sharp knife out of one of his pockets and offered it to Sirius. The canine animagus nicked his thumb and let a drop of blood fall on his signature. Remus murmured a soft healing charm as Harry held out his own hand for Sirius to cut and followed suit.

When Harry's blood touched the parchment, sealing the document and making it magically binding, the paper was enveloped in a kaleidoscope of colors as it reproduced itself and made four copies, one for each of the signers. The original then vanished as it transported itself to the Ministry of Magic for filing in the Department of Children's Services.

Sirius grinned at the boy, "It's mostly official now, Harry, you are my son and heir to both the House of Potter and the House of Black."

Hugging his new father again, Harry asked, "So what's this at the end of the letter about a potion?"

"We need to have a potion made that uses three drops of blood from you and me in it. Once it's ready, we each drink half and it makes us father and son by blood. It would be basically the same thing if you had been _my_ true-born son instead of James' child."

Harry nodded his understanding before tipping his head back to look up into the deep grey eyes, "So, do you think we can find a 'Potions Master or Mistress of impeccable reputation' to make it?"

Severus spluttered incoherently for several minutes at the sheer audacity of the young wizard before he finally settled for lightly smacking Harry on the shoulder, "Impudent little monster! Just for that comment I ought to make you try to find yourself another potion maker who is anywhere near as good at it as I!"

Despite Snape's threats, he had already started the potion as soon as he knew what Sirius was planning so that he could finalize it when the approval came from the Ministry. He'd wanted to make sure that everything was in place so it could be ready as soon as the documents were signed so no one could try to refute the adoption; all that was required was the three drops of blood from Harry and Sirius.

The small group flooed back to Hogwarts where Snape had everything ready in his personal laboratory as they had decided that it would be best to take the potion there so that the castle could help control any magical outbursts that might occur. Though Remus had his doubts considering the castle hadn't been able to fully contain Harry's rage the previous year after Rita Skeeter's article about the deaths of his aunt, uncle, and cousin and Harry's seeming lack of response to it.

Repeating the procedure with Sev's knife, Harry and Sirius allowed three drops of blood each to fall into the cauldron that was simmering on the tabletop. The potions professor then turned the fire up to bring the brew to a boil for two minutes while stirring constantly with an oak ladle. When it turned a brilliant shade of lavender, he banished the flame and immediately bottled the potion in two small clear vials and placed the stopper in them. A snap of his fingers conjured a small tub and he placed the vials in it, covering them with several inches of ice. Five minutes passed before Severus removed them and offered them to Harry and Sirius.

Sirius raised his vial to Harry with a loving smile, "Bottom's up, kiddo."

With an answering grin, Harry lifted his and swallowed the potion in one big gulp as his godfather did the same.

Werewolf and potions master backed away with their wands at the ready, prepared for anything that may happen.

Or so they thought.

Harry closed his eyes as he swallowed the strangely sweet liquid. He wasn't sure what to expect once it reached his stomach, but when it did, he stiffened in stunned disbelief.

_Power_. He could suddenly _feel _his magic flowing in his veins and pounding through his heart. Harry opened his eyes and found the room filled with every color imaginable that seemed to have a life of their own as they swirled, twisted, and entwined with one another. The vague memory of an old poem floated through his mind '_In the Land of Luminescence, far beyond the world we see, such kinetic creatures frolic with frenetic energy. Wispy breezes tease and tumble, trailing colors as they fly, while kaleidoscopic butterflies shimmer through the sky.'_ Harry couldn't even find names for some of the colors he could see, only that they were beautiful to behold.

Two of the colors seemed to be separating themselves from the others; one a stunning slash of silver, and the other the most vibrant shade of emerald he'd ever seen. The silver slithered around Sirius while the green lightly enclosed Harry before both colors began reaching out to each other and merging, drawing the two humans with them.

Sirius looked into Harry's eyes and held out his hand for the boy to take. Unsure of what was going on and needing the reassurance, Harry quickly accepted it. As soon as their hands met, the silver and green seemed to explode as all the other colors in the room coalesced around them in a whirling cyclone. The three men and one child were forced to close their eyes from the brightness and dizzying speed.

When the light faded and they could see again, they found some minor changes had been wrought. Harry's eyes were still a deep green, but now they had some flecks of light grey in them, his nose was a bit more patrician, and his normally unruly dark hair was thicker, a little longer, and mostly tamed. His godfather's grey eyes were now shot through with a green that matched the boy's, but that appeared to be the only visible change to Sirius.

The boy coughed a couple of times, trying to clear the sudden dryness in his throat, and a glass of pumpkin juice suddenly appeared on the table beside him. He stared at it for a moment before seizing it and chugging it down with a word of thanks to whoever had read his mind and summoned it for him.

"Harry," Remus said softly, "none of us summoned it." When the teen looked at him with confusion clearly written on his face, the werewolf asked, "What were you thinking just before the glass appeared?"

"I was thinking that my throat was really dry and how much I would love a big glass of ice cold pumpkin juice right now." Harry paused a moment, considering, and suddenly a second glass appeared, this one filled with chocolate milk. His eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

Severus stared at the young mage before whispering, "Oh, sweet Merlin."

"My thoughts exactly, Onyx," Remus murmured. "And tomorrow may not be soon enough."


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you all so much for sending me reviews! The muse and I love hearing from people who are enjoying the story so far and we are working on updates as quickly as we can.

Please remember that this is AU, the characters don't belong to me, and I only wish I was making money from my writing…

PART 4

The next morning, Harry was up early to shower and dress for their trip to Gringott's bank. He spent some time studying his reflection in the mirror and found that he liked the sparkling grey in his eyes and the fact that his black hair now lay flat rather than sticking up everywhere. He still looked like a mixture of Lily and James Potter, but now he had a little of his new father in him as well. He really was Harry James Potter-Black.

He stepped out of the bathroom and found Sirius lounging in the window seat waiting for him. The smile that greeted Harry was one of a father pleased to see his son after a long separation and he couldn't help but beam in response. Rising gracefully, Sirius approached the teen and pulled him in for a hug, "When I first got up this morning, I thought that it might have been a dream. Then I looked in the mirror and saw a glimpse of you in my own eyes; that's when I knew for sure that it was real and you truly are my son."

Returning the hug eagerly, Harry tried to blink back sudden tears as the realization that he officially had a family now hit him. To his horror, the tears began flowing faster and he couldn't get himself under control.

Sirius felt the moisture seeping through his shirt and the hitching of the boy's shoulders gave the silent sobs away. He tightened his grip and began carding his long fingers through the teen's dark hair, "Everything's alright now, pup, just let it go. I'm here, and I've got you safe."

As if he had been waiting for that reassurance, Harry did indeed let go and his entire body shuddered from the force of his cries. For so long, Harry had been alone. He didn't remember James and Lily at all other than pictures and the memories of others. Aunt Petunia had hated him from the day he was dropped on her doorstep and encouraged Dudley to do the same. Uncle Vernon had tried to be there for him a little, but even he couldn't stand against the rage of his wife, plus he hadn't actually loved the orphaned boy so much as he pitied him. He had his friends in Hermione and Ron, but they were kids like him and he desperately needed a grown-up who was there for him and only him.

The past year had been one of discovery and delight for Harry since he'd had Sirius at the school teaching Transfiguration. Whenever he needed someone he knew that the man was there for him. But there had been that terrible thought in the back of his mind that someone might come along and take Harry away from Sirius because he was only the boy's godfather and not real family. Or even worse, that the man might someday grow to resent him for some reason and banish him from his life.

Now, he didn't have that fear. Sirius was his father, both by legal adoption and by blood through the potion. The adult wizard had chosen of his own free will to not only raise a child not his own, but to adopt and love that child unconditionally. Harry couldn't find the words to express his own love and gratitude to his new father, but he tried to through his embrace and brokenly whispered, "I love you, dad; so much."

That soft whisper brought Sirius to tears himself. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever pictured himself being a father. He had always been too much of a rebel and daredevil to tie himself down with a wife; but he had found that he was a trifle envious of what James and Lily had found with each other. The first time he'd ever held Harry as an infant, he realized just how deeply someone could love another person and as he had rocked the sleeping baby Sirius had whispered, "My little pup, I will love you forever as if you were my own child. I promise that if you need someone, I will be there for you to talk to. You are a huge part of my world and life now, pup, and I vow to love you always, no matter what may come."

Those words replayed themselves in his head as he held the teenaged Harry in his arms and Sirius was filled with regret that he had allowed his grief and rage over the Potter's deaths to rule him just when the baby had needed him most. If he hadn't gone after Pettigrew, the miserable rat, he wouldn't have been thrown into Azkaban and his godson would never have been sent to his aunt. He had been given a second chance and he was not going to let it pass him by.

Slowly, gently, Sirius began to sway back and forth and murmured, "My little pup, I will love you forever, and now you are my own child. I promise that I will be here for you whenever you're in need. You are my world and life and I vow to love you as my son always, no matter what may come."

Harry's grip tightened as the words flowed softly over him and soothed his aching spirit. Under his ear, he could hear the strong reassuring beat of his father's heart and felt the power of his love as he spoke his vow. The teen let his own love try to find words, "Sirius, you are my father. I know that James helped bring me into existence, but you are the one who has given me my life. I promise that I will come to you when I need someone to talk to or just because I need to have someone close by. You are my world and I will love you and honor you as my true father always, no matter what the future may bring."

"Merlin, Harry, I don't know what I did to be so blessed with you, but I certainly won't pass it up." He pressed a rough kiss on the top of the boy's head and chuckled, "You realize that anyone who saw us acting like this would think that we had both lost our minds."

When Severus appeared in the doorway of Harry's bedroom to find out what the holdup was, he was startled to find the two hugging, laughing, and crying all at once. He lifted one black eyebrow and drawled, "So we are sitting around, twiddling our thumbs, while the two of you are up here bawling like a pair of pre-teen girls who haven't seen each other for months?"

Turning to face his friend, Sirius grinned at him, "I have a son, Onyx, and when that son is in need of a hug then by Merlin he's going to get it!"

"I will be sure to relay that to the goblins when Remus and I arrive at Gringott's; I'm sure they will love knowing that they set aside an entire morning to stand around and wait for you to get done hugging the stuffing out of your son."

Looking down at Harry, the man's grin softened, "Yeah, my son."

Severus rolled his eyes, "Sappiness doesn't become you, Padfoot. If the two of you are done pledging your undying devotion to each other, may we please go?"

Laughing happily, Sirius released his son and bounced over to Snape, wrapping his arms around the stunned man as he cooed, "Aw, does the poor wittle puddy tat feel left out? Does him need some love, too?" He pretended to give Sev slobbery kisses with as much noise as possible.

"Eeewwwww! Sirius, behave yourself for once in your life! Merlin's beard, now I'm covered in dog germs!" He pushed his friend away and brushed irritably at his hair, trying to straighten it back out.

Harry couldn't repress his snickers as he watched his professor attempt to regain his dignity as Sirius drew the boy out of the room and raced down the stairs to the parlor to escape retaliation. They found Remus sitting quietly in his favorite chair reading a new book as he waited. When they entered, he looked up with a smile and bookmarked his place as he rose to greet them, "I was beginning to wonder."

Snape entered the room in time to hear Sirius announce innocently, "We would have been down here sooner, Moony, but Sev delayed us."

"WHAT?"

Before Sev could inflict bodily harm, Sirius grabbed some floo powder and threw it in the fireplace yelling, "Diagon Alley!" As the flames changed colors, he grabbed his son and pulled him into the fire with him and vanished; leaving behind them a confused werewolf and an infuriated potions master.

The walk through Diagon Alley was a bit uncomfortable for all of them. Three handsome male wizards in their mid-thirties drew the admiring gazes of many a witch, and even a few warlocks, as they strolled along, keeping their teenage charge in the middle of triangle. Sirius walked in front of Harry while Remus and Severus took up points slightly behind and to either side of the boy. Even though Harry had defeated Voldemort, there were still some of his Death Eaters floating around that they were concerned about.

On top of everything, this was Harry's first actually outing into wizarding public since his destruction of the dark lord. They should have known that they weren't going to be able to simply wander through to the bank without being stopped.

The sudden squeal of, "Merlin! It's Harry Potter!" brought everyone's attention to the small group as the people who were out and about doing their shopping turned to stare and murmur. Several began trying to get to the young wizard to thank him, shake his hand, touch his clothing, and whisper their thanks and adulation to him for setting them free.

Feeling hands pulling at him and trying to get him away from his father, Harry started to panic and jerked away from the mauling, "Stop it, just leave me alone! Quit grabbing me!"

Furious, Sirius raised his wand and cast a spell that immediately ringed the four of them and pushed everyone else away. He then pulled the teen back against his chest and glowered at the mob, wand throwing off sparks and eyes blazing as his lips drew back from his teeth in a snarl of sheer rage, "Back off, you bloody pack of vultures, before I hex the lot of you!'

The other two men situated themselves in front of Harry and Sirius, wands at the ready and fire in their eyes as they stared down the horde. The boy remembered another situation not too long ago when he was being overwhelmed by people eager to meet him and shake his hand. He wondered if the Aurors would appear in time to prevent his father and uncles from injuring the gathered people in their zeal to protect him.

He needn't have worried. Even before the thought finished forming in his mind, a shout followed by a brilliant shower of red sparks scattered the crowd surrounding them and allowed Kingsley Shacklebolt and his team of Aurors through to the bubble of magic. They swiftly disbursed the throng and acted as escorts for the quartet to get to the bank.

Before they entered, Harry reached out to touch the lead Auror's arm, "Thanks for getting us out of that."

White teeth flashed as Kingsley smiled down at the child, "The pleasure was ours, Mr. Potter-Black. Remus sent us an owl yesterday to let us know that the four of you were going to be here and at what time so we could be nearby to help." He gestured towards the doors of Gringott's, "Good luck to you in there, Harry. I know you have much to see and learn about."

With a nod, Harry turned to his father and uncles and followed them through the doors. Sirius placed one large hand on the back of Harry's neck and gently steered him away from the large, high wall of seats the goblins sat on. The boy was used to coming in and going to one of the tellers behind that wall in order to get into his vault for school money. He was surprised when Sirius approached a desk that sat in a corner by itself with a stuffy-looking goblin scribbling quickly on a parchment bearing the seal of the bank. He raised dark eyes with a slight sneer in place as they neared, but when he saw who it was, the goblin hastily rose and bowed, "Good morning, Lord Black, welcome to Gringott's. If you will wait but one moment, I will inform Master Darkstar that you have arrived."

Sirius nodded, "Thank you, Deeprock."

The goblin disappeared through a barely noticeable door on the wall by his desk and returned moments later with another goblin, the largest Harry had seen yet, though still not very tall by human standards. He approached the small group and bowed deeply, "Lord Black, welcome. If you please, step into my office and tell me how I can serve you today."

Harry frowned a bit in confusion; anytime he had come into get into his vault, the goblins had been coldly polite, nothing like this almost fawning servile attitude to his father who merely nodded in response. He followed Sirius into a large office decorated in dark cherry wood and heavy leather; the rug was done in mostly dark shadings of blue with lighter blue runes along the edges. Floor to ceiling shelves were filled with books bearing titles in a language Harry couldn't even begin to decipher and parchments stacked neatly in piles. There was a large desk at one end of the room and a table at the other where Darkstar directed them as he held the door.

Once everyone was in the room and the door closed and sealed by the goblin, Sirius turned to him with a wide grin, "Darkstar, old friend, how are you?"

The goblin approached him with a smile of his own as he extended his hand, "It's good to see you again, Sirius; especially under better circumstances. I am well, thank you, and I hear that congratulations are in order on becoming a father?"

The canine animagus gripped the other's hand firmly, "Thank you, thank you; yes, the adoption came through very recently. Allow me to present to you my son, Harry Potter-Black, Heir Presumptive of the House of Potter and Heir Apparent to the House of Black."

The goblin offered a bow to the teenager, "Felicitations on your adoption, Master Potter-Black, I'm sure you will have many questions and I hope that you will send me an owl if there is something your father is unable to answer for you."

Harry bowed back automatically, though he was very confused at to the change in the goblin's manner of address and how friendly Sirius suddenly was behind closed doors, "Thank you, sir, I'll do that."

Sirius settled himself into one of the dark leather chairs at the table and gently tugged Harry into the one next to him, "Darkstar and I go way back, Harry. I've never held with many of the pure-blood families who treat the goblins like dirt. While in public however, it is best if others don't see just how friendly I am with them, they might start to think that I get special favors or treatment and will want it for themselves."

The goblin chuckled, "But, Sirius, you DO get special favors and treatment, so why wouldn't they want the same?"

Cocking one dark brow, the man queried, "The question really is, do you and the other goblins want to have every witch and wizard bouncing in here demanding that you dismiss loans or grant them items they have no business getting their paws on?"

"Titania have mercy, no! That's the last thing I want." He turned to the other two men watching the interaction between himself and Lord Black with amusement, "Severus, Remus, it's good to see the two of you as well, would you care to join us at the table?"

Snape merely nodded and murmured a words of thanks while the werewolf smiled, "Thank you, Darkstar; it's a pleasure to visit with you again."

Once everyone was seated, the goblin beckoned to one wall and three huge tomes slipped off their shelves and floated over to rest on the table with a soft thud. Darkstar whispered something in his own language and each book opened obediently, pages flipping rapidly, until they finally stopped on pages dated only ten months ago. A twitch of a finger caused the books to spin from the goblin to Sirius, "As you can see, this is an identical list of what was sent to you earlier, detailing everything contained in the Black, Malfoy, and Potter vaults."

Sirius nodded, "It was a complete list in accordance with the other accountings in my possession, Darkstar, thank you for putting them together for me."

"Of course, old friend, it wasn't a problem." The goblin motioned and the books closed and twisted slightly into a position in front of Harry, "Master Potter-Black, as the Heir Apparent and Heir Presumptive, we will need a drop of your blood on each of the books to allow you to have access to them should the need arise." He pulled out a small, sharp blade and held out his hand over the tomes.

The teenager started to extend his hand to Darkstar, then hesitated and shifted back some, "Before we do that, may I ask a couple of questions?"

The goblin lowered his own hands and nodded immediately, "Of course, Master Potter-Black, you may ask anything you wish and I will do everything I can to answer."

"First off, could you just call me Harry? Master Potter-Black is such a mouthful."

Darkstar chuckled softly, "It would be an honor to address you as Harry; but until you invited me to do so, it would have been bad manners to simply assume. You may, in turn, call me by my name when we are in private like this."

"Thank you, Darkstar, it makes things easier." He slanted a look at Sirius to see if he was irritated that Harry wasn't complying with the blood thing and found his father nodding at him to ask his questions. The young wizard turned his focus back to the goblin, "Since I'm not the Malfoy Heir, why do I need to have access to that particular book?"

"You are the Heir to the House of Black and, at this time, Sirius is the Lord of both the Black and Malfoy families. This means that he is the one overseeing all financial transactions, both coming in and going out, and is the only one who can have free access at any time to any of the vaults related to those Houses. As the Heir, you also need access so you are kept apprised of all dealings with the money and anything being moved within the vaults themselves." Darkstar smiled at the boy, "Even though you were kind enough to erase the Dark Lord from the face of the Earth, these are still uncertain times. Should something happen to Sirius, you need to be able to have access and a strong understanding of your inheritance, in all its myriad forms. Did that answer your question?"

Harry nodded slowly as he processed everything, "So, if something happened to Sirius, I would be Lord until Draco Malfoy comes of age?"

"You would be Heir Presumptive if it occurred before you reach your majority," Darkstar corrected. "However, it would mean that you would be the one to access the vaults and money for all three families in conjunction with whomever would be your regent."

"Okay, that leads me to my next question, what is the difference between Heir Presumptive and Heir Apparent?"

Sev chuckled softly, "I've been waiting for that question to come out."

The goblin smiled briefly at the potions master before returning his full attention to the teenager, "You are Heir Presumptive to the Potter Family because you are currently under-aged and it is _presumed_ that you will become Lord when you come of age. Sirius is the current Lord of the Black Family and, since he is still living, you are his chosen Heir, _apparently_." Remus nearly choked as he struggled to contain his laughter and Darkstar smirked slightly, "Yes, I know. A horrible play on words, but a good explanation, none the less."

The youngster had caught the slight pun in the word usage, but it helped him understand better exactly what each meant. After a few more moments of considering, Harry reached his hand over the tomes to the goblin, "Thank you for explaining things to me. I think I'm ready now."

Gently taking the slim hand in his own gnarled one, Darkstar nodded his approval, "It is my pleasure to be able to explain these things to you, Harry. I hope that should you have any further questions, you will not hesitate to ask me." With a swift, practiced movement, he made a shallow cut to the tip of Harry's middle finger and allowed a drop of blood to fall on the face of each book in turn. After the third drop, he made a simple gesture and the cut healed as if it had never been.

Once each tome had accepted the blood and glowed briefly to show it acknowledged the young Heir, Darkstar sent them back to rest on their respective shelves as he rose to his feet. He walked over to a second door, one barely visible to the eyes of humans, and touched a small knot in the wood it was made from. As he swung open, he invited, "If you'll come with me, I will start your tour of the family vaults."


	5. Chapter 5

PART 5

Both Remus and Severus declined going with them to visit the vaults, stating that they each needed to make other stops while they were in Diagon Alley, but they would meet back at the bank in three hours time. The other two joined the goblin in the passageway and entered a private cart that whisked them down, deep into the very depths of Gringott's. When it finally came to a halt, Harry was grinning like a Cheshire cat and Sirius was laughing at him.

"It's a good thing you were holding onto him, Sirius; I'm positive that at one point he was going to fall out, he was leaning so far over." Darkstar fixed him with a frown, "By Titania's Grace, child, never have I seen someone take to the carts as well as you. Though no one else has ever tried to crawl out of one while trying to see one of the dragons."

Still craning his head and neck around to catch another glimpse, Harry answered absently, "I like to go fast, especially on my Firebolt." His father's chin lifted a bit in pride, knowing that he was the one who had given the boy the broom.

Shaking his head, the goblin opened the door to the first vault, "Tell you what, Harry; if we get done early with going through all your vaults, I will call one of the dragons for you to see up close. How does that sound?"

Eyes wide, the teen stared at his father's friend, "You mean it?" Darkstar nodded. Harry nearly launched himself through the now-open portal, "Come on then!"

Two hours and thirty nine minutes later, the trio had gone through all of the vaults and was currently in the process of exploring the last on the list. Sirius has asked that this one be saved for last as it contained something in particular that he was planning on withdrawing for the family's home. Harry was wandering through the room, lightly touching various objects that drew his attention, always aware of his father's gaze following him. The adult wizard wanted to make sure that his son was free to examine things, but at the same time, he had to make sure that the boy didn't accidently touch something that could potentially hurt him. As they had explored the other rooms, the man had taken the time to point out various objects and what they were for so Harry understood.

They reached the back of the vault and there Harry spotted a very large object covered in a deep blue velvet curtain. As he approached it, he glanced over at Sirius for permission and, when he received a nod in return, gently tugged the draping free. As it slithered to the floor at his feet, the teen stepped back and gave a soft gasp of awe.

The painting now revealed to the small group was magnificent; the frame alone was priceless beyond imagining. Made of gold, gilded with silver and bronze accents, it glittered with hundreds of gemstones: diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, and amethysts of all sizes, shadings, and cuts. Each of the four corners depicted the head of a different powerfully magical creature, a unicorn, a dragon, a griffin, and a phoenix, each decorated with precious metals and jewels to lend it color and beauty. The support frame was decorated with runes and other symbols of power, many long forgotten even by the most ancient of wizards and their families.

The painting itself portrayed a massive throne-like chair carved from the wood of a Rowan tree and engraved with more symbols of power. The hand-rests at the end of the chair arms were shaped into the heads of large serpents with emeralds for eyes. The back of the throne was stunning rendition of an ancient oak tree in its full glory and on its seat was a cushion of deep amethyst embroidered with gold and silver Celtic knots. Leaning against the chair was a staff carved from the branch of an Ash tree with a serpent symbol undulating up its length.

Behind the chair was a window that revealed a lovely green hillside dotted with flowers of every hue imaginable and at the top of that hill stood the Ring of Stones as it had once looked, not how Stonehenge appeared today with many of its pieces missing or fallen. Sitting on the windowsill looking out over the hillside was a raven, the symbol of healing and protection, while perched on the back of the chair with its eyes closed was a large great-horned owl.

Harry was stunned by the sheer size and beauty of the picture and could only stand, gazing at it in wonder until his father lightly rested a hand on his shoulder, "Harry? You still with me?"

The teen nodded slowly, "I've never seen anything like it. The painting looks like it should be ancient, but the colors seem as if it were just finished yesterday. And just look at the carvings! The animals seem like they're alive somehow."

Sirius laughed, "Carving is a lost art today. The people who created the chair and the frame were true masters of their craft and knew how to work the wood to bring out its strength in what they were making."

Reaching out to lightly trace one finger along the ruby-studded head of the phoenix, Harry jumped a foot when a deep voice emerged from the painting and inquired, "So you like the gems, do you?"

Clutching his chest with one hand to still his pounding heart, Harry took a deep breath before shaking his head slightly, "Actually, sir, I thought the phoenix looked like my Headmaster's familiar." He lifted his eyes to gaze up at the figure who stepped fully into the frame of the picture. The man looked a bit like Dumbledore with his long white hair and beard, but he appeared to be more like a younger man whose hair had turned white early on in life. His face was barely seamed with lines and his skin was tanned as though he was a man familiar with time in the sun. The long robes he wore, while similar to the ones Harry was accustomed to wearing himself, had something strange to them, something the teen was unable to place. Perhaps it was the deep shade of royal purple that nearly matched the cushion on the throne behind him. Maybe it was the ancient markings of power that bordered the hem and sleeves.

Or, it could possibly be the fact that the man who wore those robes did so with the authority of someone who was the embodiment of power itself.

Harry finally brought himself to look into the man's eyes and found himself unable to look away. The eyes of the wizard in the painting were an incredible shade of ice blue, but rather than appearing cold as such shades tended to be, they sparkled and crackled with an inner fire. Those ancient eyes burned with such wisdom, knowledge, power, and strength that Harry knew intuitively who he was facing.

"Merlin."

A faint smile quirked one side of the man's mouth and his eyes crinkled a bit, "Indeed, young one."

Sirius stepped forward, drawing the blue eyes in his direction, and executed a proper bow to the master mage, "My Lord, forgive us for intruding. We came to seek your counsel if you will grant it."

A dipping of the head acknowledged the canine animagus' homage, "You are the current Lord Black, I then assume? The last time one sought me for guidance, Phineas Nigellus Black was Head of the Family and it was 1877; or so memory serves me."

"Phineas was my great-great grandfather; I am Sirius Orion Black, and yes, I am the current Lord." He placed one hand on Harry's shoulder, "This is my son and Heir, Harry James Potter-Black," he paused as Harry mimicked his bow to the picture and was nodded at in return. "It has been over one hundred years since last your rest was disturbed, my Lord, and I beg your forgiveness for doing so."

The figure settled himself on his throne of a chair, "I would assume since you did so that there is a good reason, young Lord Black. I must admit to an interest in how it is with the world today, so I willingly accede to your request for counsel, but would request that we do so somewhere other than this dark place."

Sirius nodded agreeably, "With your permission, my Lord, I will minimize your painting and consign it to a safe place to make the return trip to our home."

"Certainly. You have my permission and I will return to the frame in an hour or two. Will that suffice for time?"

"That would be perfect, my Lord, thank you," Sirius bowed again. "Before you leave, though, may I formally introduce you to my son?"

A deep laugh echoed through the vault, bringing a smile to Darkstar's craggy face from where he watched at a distance, "My sincerest apologies, young Lord; I have been too long away from proper society and have forgotten my manners. By all means, please proceed."

"Harry James Potter-Black, son of James and Lily Potter, Heir Presumptive to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter; adopted son of Sirius Black and Heir Apparent to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, I present to you Merlin Taliesin Ambrosius, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Avalon, Chief of Bards and Druids, and father of Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake of Avalon."

Harry bowed once more the man in the painting, "It is an honor, my Lord Merlin."

The ancient figure smiled down at the boy, "Taliesin will do fine, young one; or grandfather if you are comfortable enough to use such an address with me. As you are of the Black blood-line you are a descendent of mine and I will certainly aver so magical a child as I sense in you."

The teen grinned in delight; in a short period of time he had gained a father, two honorary uncles, and now had an actual grandfather, many, many times over perhaps, but still one he could claim!

Sirius pulled out his wand as Merlin vacated the frame and cast a shrinking charm. Once he was done, the painting was now the size of a note card and easily fit in a deep robe pocket that was magically sealed and protected.

"That was so cool, dad! I actually got to meet King Arthur's Merlin, and we're taking him home with us; I can't wait to tell Ron and Hermione!"

He caught hold of his son's chin to freeze him in place a second, "Harry, listen to me a moment, please." When the boy stilled and met his gaze steadily he continued, "The Merlin's canvas is a sacred gift that has been a part of the Black Family's heritage for over a thousand years. He teaches and guides where _he _wills, not at our whim. We can ask for counsel, but it is his choice if he grants it. Above all things, though, is that we are cautious in who knows of the painting's existence; I could not tell James, Remus, or Severus about it until they were old enough to take a Wizard's Oath, that's how serious this is. Understand?"

Harry nodded vigorously, "Yes, sir." The last thing he wanted to do was run the risk of losing the opportunity to speak and spend time with the ancient mage!

"Good, thank you." Sirius turned the teen around and guided him to the door of the vault with a light hand on his shoulder, "I think that does it. Are you ready to find some lunch?" He abruptly had to shift his grip from guiding the shoulder to hanging on to the back of the boy's robes, "Merlin, Harry! Will you stop that?"

Oblivious to the fact he was hanging halfway off the ledge as he craned his neck around, Harry replied, "Did we get done in time to see the dragon?"

Sirius Black's fingers tightened convulsively on the shoulders of the teenage boy leaning back against his chest as they watched a magnificent dragon slowly settle its massive bulk onto the floor in front of them. She was a beautiful creature that shimmered with almost every shade of blue known to man and large golden eyes that took everything in with a single glance. The dragon tucked her wings delicately against her spine as she lowered her head to match the level they stood on so she could look them over.

Stepping forward so that he was pressed against the railing separating the small group from the great beast, Darkstar extended one hand to lightly graze the end of the blue muzzle that greeted him, "Thank you, old friend, for agreeing to meet our visitors. This is Lord Sirius Black and his son, Harry."

The dragon inhaled slightly, drawing their scent in deeply, then snorted, _::They do not smell as kindred should. If kin they claim to be, it is lies they speak.::_

Harry's jaw dropped when he realized that he could understand what she was saying, and then snapped shut when her words penetrated. Before Darkstar could explain, the teen stepped forward and bowed courteously. Not knowing the best way to address a dragon, he decided that formality was the way to go, _::You do us an immense honor by allowing us to admire your beauty, great one; and you are correct in your declaration that we are not true blood-kin. Lord Black was a close friend to the parents whom I lost to death and he took me in to raise as his son.::_

The amber eyes widened in pleasure as Harry responded to her comments, _::Ah, a human who is able to speak correctly! This is pleasing to my senses and now that you have enlightened me of your family, I can now smell traces of yonder Lord in you though his scent is faint. I offer you my sympathy and condolences for the loss of your sire and dam; the soul grieves losses such as those forever, yet it will not intrude on your conscience mind always.::_

_::Thank you, great one, for your compassion and kindness.::_

"Amazing," Darkstar murmured to Sirius as he moved to stand beside the man, "I had no idea the boy could not only understand the language of dragons, but speak it as well."

"He's a parselmouth," Sirius explained quietly. "Though the relationship is extraordinarily distant, snakes and dragons speak similar dialects; or so I have been told."

The blue dragon lightly pressed her nose against Harry's chest and snorted, _::You may address me as Seeranat, hatchling, for such was I named when I broke shell a millennia ago. Among dragon-kin it means 'Heart of Fire' for my first breath was an exhalation of flame.::_

Resisting the urge to touch Seeranat's muzzle was hard, but the boy over came it, _::Thank you for honoring me in such a way, Seeranat. My parents named me Harry, but I don't know what it means; I never really thought about it.::_

_::You may touch me, hatchling, I will permit it and thank you for not assuming as others in the past have done.::_ The dragon's amber eyes drifted half-closed as Harry began stroking his fingers lightly over her nose.

_::You're so soft! I thought you would feel more like a snake does with scales and solid muscles.::_

She snorted again, _::Legless, wingless worms they are. Though I will not claim it so, many dragons would cry insult to be so compared, hatchling. I have skin, not scales, and my form is smooth and supple. I keep it so by regular flights and submergence in the sea to bathe.::_

_::My apologies, great one, I meant no offense. Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain and I say stupid things,::_ Harry blushed.

Seeranat nuzzled him gently, _::As do all hatchlings at one time or another. That is why you have elders to guard and guide you.::_

The teen glanced back at his father who was watching him with an amused and proud smile, _::Yeah, he's the best.::_ He continued to run his hand over the soft skin and asked, _::Why do you call me 'hatchling' instead of Harry?::_

_::You remind me of my own little ones just after emerging from their eggs for the first time. Tiny, eager to touch, see, and learn, curious, and in need of protection.::_ She heaved a sigh that nearly knocked him over, _::I miss them very much.::_

Harry leaned forward and rested his cheek on the soft muzzle, _::I'm sorry.::_

The massive creature began to croon tenderly, _::Ah, how is it I was fortunate enough to be graced with the presence of a human child who is as filled with compassion as he is magic. Truly, I have been blessed by the dragon queen herself.::_

Sirius was loathed to breakup the gentle moment happening in front of him, but they needed to get going, "Harry, I'm sorry, son, but we need to go so we can meet with Remus and Sev. Perhaps you can arrange with Darkstar to visit with your new friend another time."

Reluctantly pulling away from the dragon, Harry straightened up and gave her one last pat, _::It was an honor to meet you, Seeranat, and thank you for talking to me. I hope to see you again soon.::_

Seeranat bobbed her head, _::Anytime you wish to see me, hatchling, I would take great pleasure in spending time with you.::_ She abruptly sat back on her haunches, bringing her massive fore claws close together, and a brilliant glow formed, solidifying into a tiny point of light. The blue dragon opened her claws and directed the light to move to Harry as she resettled onto all four feet, _::Here, little one, a gift for you to place on the chain you wear with the lily.::_

The teen opened his hands as the light reached him and dropped into his palms a beautiful charm in the shape of Seeranat. It was three inches tall and showed the blue dragon in a seated pose with her tail curled neatly around her feet, chin tucked close to the chest. He lifted it so the torchlight could catch the charm and bring out the shimmering colors that echoed her real form, _::It's magnificent, Seeranat, and far too generous; I have nothing to give you in return.::_

_::I ask for nothing, hatchling, save for your word that you will one day visit with me again. This is a special charm that will bring you to my side should you find yourself in great peril. You need only say my name thrice, even in a whisper, and you will be transported to me instantly. Be warned that it will only work if your life is in danger, for such is the magic of dragons when granted to a human.::_

When she extended her muzzle to him again, Harry wrapped his arms as far as he could around it and leaned against her, listening to her hum deep in her chest. When he straightened and backed away, Seeranat crouched down and launched her sleek body upwards to her ledge in the massive network of caves. The boy turned to his father with a blinding smile and was pulled into a firm embrace before Sirius helped him fasten the charm to the necklace around his throat.


	6. Chapter 6

PART 6

When they returned to Darkstar's office, they found Severus and Remus already there and talking softly as they awaited their return. Harry was nearly vibrating with excited energy as he asked the goblin numerous questions about the dragons within Gringott's vaults. The manager was quietly answering each question as thoroughly as he could without breaking the oath of secrecy he had taken so many years ago to protect the bank.

Remus smiled at the teen when he paused for breath, "Goodness, Harry, what brought all this on about dragons?"

"I got to meet one of them, Remus! She was so beautiful and gentle, and I could talk to her in parseltongue; and she gave me this," he held up the dainty charm on the chain beside the lily he had in memory of his mother, "to remember her by."

Snape drew the teen closer to him so he could see the dragon and lightly traced his forefinger over it, feeling the powerful pulse of magic flowing through it, "A marvelous gift indeed, Harry; I can see you comprehend the honor she did you."

Harry looked his potions professor in the eye and softly responded, "I do, sir, I do."

After thanking Darkstar for all his help and for allowing Harry to visit with Seeranat, Sirius lightly patted his pocket and turned to his friends, "Shall we have a bit of lunch before we head for home?"

Harry was nearly bouncing with excitement as he watched his father cautiously enlarge Merlin's picture and use a hovering charm to lift it to a place of honor over the fireplace in the library. The frame was still empty and Sirius reminded him that they still had some time before the mage was planning on returning. Deciding that the boy needed something to do to keep himself out of trouble for the moment, the man drew him over to the desk and pulled out the parchment listing everything in the vaults they had toured. Remus and Severus left the two of them alone to pursue their own leisure activities of reading and working in the garden.

They talked about the many items they had seen and Harry asked some of the questions he had wanted to ask while they were there but hadn't wanted to waste any time. Sirius was content answering the barrage to the best of his abilities as it gave him a challenge as well to remember the history of each item the teen talked about.

They had been talking for about twenty minutes when the canine animagus noticed movement in the frame, "It looks like we have company, pup." Harry was across the room and in front of the portrait before his father could even stand up completely.

The Merlin of Britain smiled down at the excited child, "So, young one, tell me about what has been happening in the world over the last hundred years."

Harry's jaw dropped at the request as his brain kicked into overdrive, trying to formulate everything that had happened into something he could speak intelligently about for the mage. When he drew a complete blank on where to even start, he turned pleading emerald eyes to his father who was lounging contentedly on the couch.

Sirius chuckled at the look on the boy's face and put him out of his misery, "The most significant event was the rise of the dark wizard Voldemort several years ago."

"It has been a long time since a true dark wizard has been unleashed, fortunately for everyone. I assume his reign of terror was a bloodbath as so many usually are?"

"Quite," came the man's dark response. "He murdered many people, both wizards and muggles, indiscriminately for several years; while also drawing to him many who hoped he would grant them riches and power. Of course, many of them were slaughtered whenever they displeased him."

"Typical," Merlin replied as he settled himself comfortably on his seat, "I have found that those who follow blindly are usually the first to pay the price for their foolishness."

Sirius nodded as he continued, "He was told of a prophecy claiming that a child born at the end of July to those who'd thrice defied him would be his downfall, so he decided that Harry was the one ordained to destroy him. Harry and his parents had gone into hiding with a secret keeper who betrayed them. He had become a follower of Voldemort's while pretending to still be their friend." The young man's grey eyes clouded with remembered pain and anger, "We thought it would be the perfect setup. No one would ever suspect Peter of being the secret keeper; he was so ineffectual at magic and had hardly any power to speak of. If only we'd known…"

Distressed by the grief of the man who'd taken him in and loved him, Harry quickly dropped to sit beside him on the couch and burrowed into his side, wrapping his arms tightly around the animagus.

The black-haired wizard accepted the embrace and returned it, lowering his head to press a kiss on the head of the boy attached to him. Pulling his emotions back under control, he faced the master mage again, "Forgive me, my lord Merlin. Harry's parents were my dearest friends; his father closer to me than my own brother. I was so enraged when I found out what happened that I attempted to hunt down and destroy the rat who betrayed us. Unfortunately, he was a step ahead of me. He accused me in public of being the one who betrayed and murdered our friends, cast a blasting curse to blow up the street, killing several people, cut off one of his fingers to make it look like I obliterated him, and disappeared." He shook his head, "I was arrested and thrown in Azkaban without a trial and languished there for over 10 years. I finally escaped, was able to free myself, and adopted Harry as my son and heir."

The mage in the painting nodded as he followed the story, eyes dark with sympathy, "I would be correct in assuming you were chosen as godfather, then?"

Sirius smiled down at the boy as he nodded, "Yes, they honored me by asking me to stand for him. The adoption was only just finalized, but it brought with it some…challenges…we weren't expecting."

"Felicitations on your new family, to both of you! Children are truly a blessing, a challenge to be sure, but a blessing nonetheless."

Harry looked up questioningly, "How many children did you have, sir?"

The master wizard leaned back in his chair as he pondered the question for a moment, "I had several Beltane children; I'm afraid I don't know for sure how many, things were different then. The Lady of the Lake, who was high priestess to my arch druid, gifted me with three beautiful daughters, two of whom were intensely magical: Vivienne was the eldest who became Lady when her mother passed on; Igraine, the mother of Arthur and Morgaine who was also known as Morgana and Morgan le Fay; and Morgause who birthed several of Arthur's closest companions from the round table. Vivienne was the mother of Sir Lancelot, Arthur's dearest friend, and very powerful. Morgause was magically strong, but she tended to weave dark and dangerous spells."

Harry stared up at him for several moments in stunned silence, "Wait, you mean to say that you're King Arthur's grandfather?"

The Merlin laughed delightedly at the boy's surprise, "Of course I am! Have you not studied your history concerning Britain and Avalon, child?"

"Well, yeah; but I don't ever remember ever reading anything about you having kids. According to all the books I've read, you helped Uther seduce Igraine and they had Arthur; she was already Morgan le Fay's mom. After he was born, you took him to be raised by someone else without knowing he was the prince. During one of the Beltane rituals, Arthur and Morgan…" the boy blushed a bright crimson, "had Mordred. After Arthur became king and married, he was betrayed by Lancelot and the queen and eventually was mortally wounded by his own son. According to the legend, he was taken to Avalon and will one day rise again when Britain is in its darkest hour and in need of him."

A deep, rich laugh echoed around the room as the man in the painting gripped the arms of his chair to keep from falling out of it. Tears began to stream down his cheeks as he roared with laughter, causing the great-horned owl perched on the back of the throne to spread his wings and squawk in annoyance. Sirius and Harry exchanged looks of surprise, but couldn't help joining in, so beguiling was the laughter.

Finally gaining control over himself other than a few chuckles, the Merlin brushed away the remaining tears and straightened up, "Ah, goodness me! Thank you, my boy; I haven't laughed so much in decades."

"What was so amusing, sir?" Harry inquired, still grinning.

Another chuckle escaped the mage, "Apparently, the story of my family has not just evolved over the millennia, it has taken on a life of its own. One day, I will regale you with the truth of the matter so you know your history properly as my descendent should."

"Thank you, sir!"

"Nah, nah, child, cease with the use of 'sir'. I am no knight to be so addressed. As I stated before, you may call me Taliesin or grandfather if you are willing while we talk." Merlin reached up to stroke the owl that ruffled his feathers and eyed the duo outside the painting's confines. "So, young Lord Black, tell me what brings you to my canvas."

"Bloodlines, Lord Merlin; more specifically, the joining of two powerful bloodlines, the magics they produce, and controlling that magic," Sirius ticked off the salient points quietly.

"Hmmm, depending on the bloodlines to which you refer, the magics could be potentially unlimited; and, depending on the ability of the offspring, control would be paramount."

"Well," Sirius smirked, "obviously, one of those bloodlines would be yours, seeing as we are seeking your assistance in this matter."

Taliesin grinned back at him, "In that case, the magic is most certainly unlimited, due to the undisputed fact that I was, am, and always will be, the most powerful wizard ever to have walked the earth."

"And so modest about it, too," Harry noted teasingly.

"Just so," the old man responded impudently.

Sirius rolled his eyes at their antics and Merlin finally gestured to him to continue, "The second bloodline is through the Fair Folk."

That got the painting's attention. Taliesin sat bolt upright and demanded, "Which?"

"The youngest daughter, Zyerne. She fell in love with a mortal who happened to be a battle mage of great power named Morlab. They had two children, the youngest of which was immensely powerful magically; the elder was drawn to the elements."

The old man was nodding, "Yes, I remember the story and many of the descendents of the elemental line ended up not having any contact with magic at all. It would crop up perhaps once every few hundred years in a child, but their gift of magic was always very weak and they rarely amounted to anything. They also found it very hard to produce children and more often than not, had only one, occasionally two. There were many times the line nearly vanished." He made a turning motion with his hand, "On the other side, the offspring of the younger child passed the immense power from one generation to the next, though some were more gifted than others." Merlin turned glittering eyes on Sirius, "Do you mean to tell me that the descendents of Zyerne and Morlab married at some point?"

"They did indeed. For generations untold, the families remained apart and, as you said, the elemental line was extraordinarily weak. Somehow, one of the descendents managed to produce two children, daughters; and one of them was extremely gifted. She was especially powerful in charms, potions, and plants; she even invented some new charms, much to the surprise of others." Sirius turned his dark grey eyes on the boy seated next to him, "Her name was Lily."

Harry sat bolt upright, "Mom?"

Merlin leaned forward in his seat and parroted, "Mom?"

A slight smile quirked one corner of the young man's mouth, "Yes, Lily, Harry's mother. The other side of that family became the Potters, ending with James who was Harry's father."

"Well, well," the old man murmured, "Quite an interesting twist to your tale, young lord. So the lines converged with the marriage of Lily and James, and Harry was the result of that blending. So where does my bloodline figure in with all this?"

Sirius rose to his feet and began pacing, "The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black is directly descended from the House of Avalon through your grandson, Galahad. Though he tried to deny the magic in him, it was passed on to his children; one of whom eventually took the surname of Black. Harry's father was a descendent of the Black Family, but so many times removed that he barely had a trace of the Blood left in him."

"Aye," Taliesin drawled, "many of my descendents chose to follow the path of darkness. Personally, I blame my grandson and his eldest son for trying so hard to refute their heritage. It corrupted the magic that ran through their blood and, when passed on to their descendents, tainted them as well. Very, very few were able to cast aside the dark tarnishing on their magical cores and return to the Light, but not many." He smiled warmly, "I cannot tell you how it pleases me to see the Black Family's new Lord is one of the Light; perhaps the balance is finally restored."

Sirius smiled in gratitude at the recognition before he continued, "As I said, Harry's father was distantly related to the Black Family from one of the great granddaughters of Galahad, but the blood was heavily diluted over the intervening generations by marriages to Muggles and Muggle-borns. I, on the other hand, can trace my lineage back directly through my father all the way to you through Galahad the younger and Lancelot. My mother was able to determine that some part of her family had come from one of the sons of Morgause." He shook his head, "It all gets so confusing, but suffice to say, the Black Family bloodline reached its pinnacle in me by the joining of Vivienne and Morgause's lines. I had to work very hard beginning in my childhood and on through my teens to learn the control necessary for such power. My parents were hard pressed to keep me managed during that time; teenaged hormones wreaked havoc on my family home numerous times."

The ancient mage resettled himself back on his chair, "So, Sirius, tell me, are you planning on having young Harry marry a daughter of yours to join the bloodlines? If you are, I would advise extreme caution and make sure that both Harry and the girl are fully in control of their abilities and are also able to administer their children's power lest their child burn out their magical core and cause a backlash. Such a reaction could have unforeseen repercussions on your world considering the strength of the bloodlines."

The canine animagus froze in mid-stride and closed his eyes, lines of pain and anxiety etching themselves deeply through his forehead, "Unfortunately, Lord Merlin, caution has never been a word I've taken very seriously until recently. I tend to leap before I look and allow my heart to overrule my head more often than not."

"What do you mean?" Taliesin questioned softly.

"I mean that the bloodlines have already been joined."

"How?"

Sirius turned to focus his gaze on the child staring at him from the couch, "When I adopted Harry, it was a blood adoption. He is as much my own son by blood now as he is the son of James and Lily. Harry James Potter-Black is the culmination of the bloodlines of Avalon and Fae."

A loud clatter broke the tension in the room as a tea tray appeared on the small table in front of the couch and Sirius closed his eyes once more, turning his head away slightly, "Thank you, Harry." The boy was so concerned about him that he'd caused the tea service to appear, hoping it would help settle the man down. Mentally, he berated himself for not having investigated more fully what adopting Harry would mean. Now there was the very real possibility that he had condemned the child to a life without magic if Merlin was unable to help them. Or worse, no life at all if the magical backlash killed him.

The picture frame that held the greatest wizard ever known suddenly began to crackle as arcs of lightening danced from gem to jewel and the sacred animals that graced each corner seemed to come alive. From each of the animals a beam of color erupted that arched over the painting to join with the others in the middle, creating a rainbow of light. Not knowing what was happening, Sirius instinctively moved to stand between his son and the possible threat.


	7. Chapter 7

PART 7

When the brilliant colors disappeared, Merlin Taliesin Ambrosius, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Avalon, Chief of Bards and Druids, Battle Mage of olden times, stood before the fireplace clutching his staff. From the picture, the raven and owl set up a racket over being left behind that he silenced with a look before turning that formidable glare on Sirius.

The young Lord bowed his head before the wrath of the powerful wizard and prepared himself for a painful lesson. He was stunned when all he received was a light cuff to the back of the head as a deep voice growled, "Idiot."

Harry was nearly crawling over the back of the couch to escape the abrupt light show that had deposited Merlin on the library floor. When the man stepped around Sirius, he froze, fearful of what the mage could, or would, do to him.

"Rest easy, child, no one is going to hurt you, least of all me."

"But…how…?" Harry gestured weakly at the canvas.

A snow white brow rose, "I am the Merlin. Do you truly think something as paltry as paint can prevent me from doing as I wish?" When the boy's green eyes widened further the old man soothed, "This is not something I do on a whim, lad. I had the power to leave the painting imbedded in the frame through the animals that guard it. I may leave it for several hours at a time if necessary, but need to return and remain for six or seven hours to rebuild the magic."

Taliesin sat on the couch beside Harry and waved Sirius to his earlier place next to the boy, "I have judged that this is most certainly a necessity as you will need to learn to control your powers before something occurs. Causing things to appear out of thin air because you wish them to do so is not normally something most wizards are capable of. Certainly not when you do so without the aid of wand or staff, or with words left unspoken."

The boy glanced guiltily at the tea service, "I thought it might help Siri calm down if he had something to drink; but I don't like to see people drink alcohol, so I settled on tea."

"I'm so sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to worry you so much," Sirius sat sideways on the couch and drew the child back to lean against his chest. The old man smiled when Harry relaxed completely against his father, resting his head on the strong shoulder and briefly closing his eyes.

"You have not had an easy life, have you, child?"

Wary green eyes opened to study him for a moment before Harry shook his head slowly, "No, sir…I mean, Taliesin. After my parents were killed by Voldemort, I was sent to live with my mother's family; her sister Petunia and my aunt's husband Vernon. My aunt was very…well…abusive to me, in many ways and her son was no better. My uncle tried very hard to protect me as best he could, but there was only so much he could do." Harry patted the arms enfolding him when they tightened during his narrative, prompting the canine animagus to ease his grip some. "I spent the first ten years or so I lived there in a cupboard under the stairs rather than a bedroom, which is in part why I'm small for my age. After I received my letter from Hogwarts, my aunt was afraid that there were wizards watching the house who would know and not be happy with her making me live under the steps, so she let me move into my cousin's second bedroom where he stored all of his broken and discarded toys."

The house trembled noticeably as the ancient mage rose abruptly to his feet and strode to stand before the rank of windows that overlooked the field where Harry normally flew his broom. Within a couple of minutes, the door to the library opened to admit a concerned werewolf and a potions master. They had felt the house shake and thought that perhaps something had upset Harry, so they came to offer their assistance if needed.

As they entered, Merlin whirled, his staff made from an Ash tree branch raised as he prepared to face any threat that may present itself to his family. Both men froze instantly, hands extended to show they were empty as Sirius released his son and stood to defuse the situation.

"It's alright, Lord Merlin. This is Severus Snape, potions master, animagus, and fellow professor at Hogwarts; and Remus Lupin, a werewolf, wizard, and also a teacher with us. They have been my friends for many years and I would not only trust them with my life, but also with the life of my son."

Taliesin lowered his staff and nodded at the intruders, "My apologies; I allowed my fury to briefly overrule my reason."

Severus studied the old man for a moment before nodding, "I would imagine that is something that occurs but rarely, my lord. May I ask what prompted your anger?"

He nodded towards where Harry was still seated on the couch, "The child was explaining to me his upbringing. I am of the firm belief that no child should be treated such as he was. It is shameful that people like that should have had his life within their grasp at all, let alone in his formative years."

"We certainly are in agreement with you, my lord," Remus murmured. "Rest assured that it will not happen again; Harry is here to stay and we will see to it that he wants for nothing."

Taliesin slowly walked to where Harry sat and eased himself into a crouch before him, "Did you see what occurred when my displeasure broke free of my control?" The boy nodded, "Such is the power of my bloodline, child; and you have been doubly blessed, or cursed if you choose to look at it thus, with not only mine own blood, but also the blood and might of the Fair Folk. Zyerne was the daughter of Titania, Queen of the Fae; so you have been gifted with magics few have even dreamed of." He straightened to his full and impressive height, "I will teach you the control necessary to thwart you from following a path of destruction."

"So I won't keep making things appear out of nowhere just because I want them badly?"

The old mage nodded, "In part, but also to avert disasters around you caused by a lack of control. Have you caused other things to occur you didn't mean?"

All four males nodded in unison and Remus told Merlin of what had happened when Harry and Sirius had drank the potion that bound them together as father and son. Severus followed that with the story of Voldemort's destruction and Harry causing the castle of Hogwarts of tremble to the very depths of her foundations.

One snow white brow rose in surprise, "To my understanding, the castle was warded with the strongest magics possible to prevent and absorb any accidental outbursts by the children inhabiting it."

"It is," Sev replied, "however, Harry was extremely powerful even before his blood was mixed with Sirius'. Part of it also seems to stem from his connection to his animagus form. When he fought Voldemort, he assumed that form, absorbed a death curse, transformed it into something made up of pure light, and flung it back at the vile creature. The Dark Lord never stood a chance."

"And what is this wondrous form, child?"

Sirius gestured for the boy to move to the middle of the room where there was plenty of room, "Go ahead, Harry; the house and lands are protected from the ministry's underage magic decree."

The men stepped back to make sure he had plenty of room so he didn't feel crowded and Harry concentrated on his form, reaching deep within himself for that fantastic part of his magical core. A startled gasp was heard by his now sensitive ears and he swung his head to where the druid stood to see his reaction.

Taliesin was staring at him in awe, jaw hanging open, as he beheld the magnificent mythical creature before him. Slowly, he walked around the transfigured boy until he stood in front of him, "Great Goddess, child! Do you realize what you are?"

If an equine could express a 'well, DUH!' properly, Sev would have sworn that was the look on the winged unicorn's face. He quickly turned his gaze away before he started laughing and found his two friends were in the same boat with him. Harry settled for bobbing his head up and down as he flicked his wings a bit and stamped one silver hoof.

Even Merlin had to chuckle at that point, "Forgive me, Harry; of course you are aware of what your form is. What I meant, was do you know of what you embody?" Harry shook his head causing his long mane to swish and his forelock to slip back behind one ear, revealing the thin lightning bolt between his eyes just under his horn. The arch-druid slowly extended one hand to gently cup the equine's muzzle and raise it so he could look into the deep green eyes, "Zyerne, Titania's daughter, was an animagus as well; her form was that of a snow white Pegasus, mistress of the skies. Her mortal mage could change forms as well; a black unicorn; lord of the earth."

He released the muzzle he had been lightly holding and tenderly trailed one finger down the long silver spiraled horn, "Your form as a black unicorn with wings is the combination of their own magical shapes. You are the personification of nature itself; master of both the earth beneath your hooves and the winds under your wings. You can walk through fire unscathed and transform tainted water to complete purity again by utilizing your horn."

Harry abruptly changed back, "So joining the lines of Zyerne and Morlab's children resulted in my animagus form and abilities?"

"Very much so, child. Before your form was revealed, were you drawn to nature at all?"

The teen nodded, "Of all the chores my aunt gave me, the only ones I didn't mind were the ones that let me be outside. I loved working on the flower garden with my hands buried in the dirt; it didn't matter if it was raining or if the sun was out. I enjoy taking herbology classes at Hogwarts because it means that I get to interact with magical plants. And of course, I love playing quidditch because I get to fly."

Merlin was nodding as Harry spoke, "All portents of your gifts. Your mother's side of the family was descended from elementals that could control nature to some degree; many of them turned their backs on their true magical abilities which may explain why the magic in the line began to weaken. However, some of them began abusing that supremacy and nature itself took that capability away. This would be why the bloodline declined so much and why it was rare for the family to spawn any children with even a smidgeon of power." He smiled softly, "Your mother must have been truly blessed to have been so strong and then to have passed it on to you."

Tears filled the emerald eyes as his father hugged him gently and murmured, "She was indeed very blessed."

The Merlin returned to his canvas with the promise of future training and talks on the morrow while the three men and one bemused teenager made their way to the kitchen for a quiet dinner. After eating, Harry softly asked if he could go flying for a bit and was given immediate permission to do so.

Stepping outside, Harry closed the door behind him, took several steps away from the manor house, and transformed into Istar. Leaping skyward, his powerful wings lifted him higher and higher until the house was only a small speck below him. He wished that his friends were there with him, Hermione as Feather and Ron as Carad, they always brought him such comfort when he was confused.

Harry knew that his father was terrified that he had condemned the boy to either a life without magic or to death from magical backlash and that made Harry all the more afraid himself. It just wasn't normal to be able to turn into a winged unicorn the color of night. It just wasn't normal to be able to cause Hogwarts to shake when he was so angry. It just wasn't normal to be able to cause things to appear out of thin air just because he wanted them to. Of course, it just wasn't normal to have had a dark wizard hunting him his entire life either.

Why couldn't anything just be normal for once with Harry?

Slowly, he began to spiral back down to the earth in lazy circles until his silver hooves lightly touched down with their musical chime. He folded his ebony wings to rest tightly against his back and sides and snorted softly at the large black dog that stepped out of the shadows from under a tree. Padfoot extended his muzzle and touched noses with the equine before dropping his forelegs into a play bow and yipping at him.

Istar gave another snort and reared, spinning on his hind legs to bolt in the opposite direction. With joyous bark, the dog leaped after him, playfully nipping at his heels while deftly avoiding the potentially deadly hooves. Abruptly, the winged unicorn switched directions and Padfoot now found himself being chased across the grounds with a horn lightly prodding his haunches every now and then. This went on, back and forth, with one chasing the other before reversing course to being the one getting chased until they were both out of breath and panting hard.

Stumbling slightly, Sirius resumed his human form and collapsed under one of the trees by the manor, leaning back against the sturdy trunk as he attempted to catch his breath. Istar followed, sinking to his knees and dropping his elegant head across the man's legs as he blew hard from all the running. The adult wizard ran a gentle hand through the thick black mane and, after a few moments, found his fingers buried in the boy's hair as he changed out of his animagus form.

Shifting to lay partially on his back, head still resting on his father's knees, Harry closed his eyes in contentment, "Thanks, dad, I really needed that tonight."

"Anytime, Harry; though maybe next time we'll invite Sev and Remus to join us."

Burrowing deeper against the man, Harry sighed softly as sleep began to pull at him, "Yeah, I'd like that, too…"

Sirius continued to tenderly stroke the teen's inky black hair until he was sure Harry was deeply asleep. Drawing his wand, he whispered a feather-light charm and rose to his feet, lifting his son and carrying him up to his bedroom. He used a switching spell to change Harry into nightclothes and tucked him into bed, leaning down to press an affectionate kiss to the child's forehead as he whispered good night. The man stood in the doorway for several long minutes and just watched his son sleep. He wasn't sure who in the universe he needed to thank for gifting him with this precious boy, but Sirius would have been more than happy to get down on his knees and thank whoever was necessary.

With a soft sigh of contentment, the canine animagus slipped out of his son's room and disappeared into his own. The next few weeks promised to be very busy.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry about not updating sooner, real life attacked with a vengeance around the holidays and New Year. On top of all that, one of my dogs suddenly came down sick and needed "mommy" to comfort and cuddle her while she was miserable. Now that she's doing better, I can start focusing on the story again.

Thanks to everyone who has sent reviews and encouraged the muse and I to keep creating. You ROCK!

PART 8

Several weeks later, Remus was the first one up and in the kitchen, something that was unusual whenever Severus was staying at the manor. Normally, the potions master was a very early riser and took it upon himself to start breakfast for the family. Scrounging through the cabinets, the werewolf decided to put together some French toast and ham for the meal and set about gathering the supplies he needed.

"Anything I can do to help, Uncle Remus?"

Turning his head with a smile of welcome, Moony nodded for the teen to join him, "Sure, cub; would you pull out some fruit to cut up for the French toast?"

Nodding as he swallowed a yawn, Harry picked out some fresh fruit and began slicing bananas, strawberries, and blueberries and placing them into bowls which he set out on the table. He then took over frying the ham for Remus so the werewolf could focus on dipping the bread and placing it on the skillet. As they were preparing to place everything on the table, Sirius entered with a stretch and noisy yawn. He took in their preparations, decided to leave well enough alone, and began setting the table and pouring fresh juice for everyone.

Once everything was ready, Severus finally made his appearance, muttering apologies for his lateness. The potions master looked a bit haggard as he slowly downed his meal, eyes drooping several times.

Sirius finally reached over to lightly touch his friend's wrist, "Sev? Is everything alright?"

His head snapped up abruptly, dark eyes flickering around the room as if to determine where he was before focusing on the worried faces gathered at the table. He blinked a couple of times, "Forgive me, did I miss something?"

The werewolf pulled out his wand and cast a diagnostic spell as he stated, "Yes, Onyx, you did miss something. It's called breakfast. Do you even have any idea as to what you just ate?"

Opening and closing his mouth several times as his eyes roamed the table, Severus finally admitted, "Not in the slightest."

Remus skimmed over the parchment his wand spit out, "Well, the good news is that you don't have any virulent diseases to share with the rest of us."

"And the bad news?" Sirius queried.

"He's exhausted and his magical core has been depleted." Amber eyes fixed firmly on the potions master as Remus demanded, "Severus, what have you been doing?"

"I'd rather not discuss it in front of Harry, if you don't mind."

"Actually, sir, _**I**_ mind," the teen snapped in frustration as he rose to his feet and stared at his professor. The three men in his life were constantly trying to protect from one thing or another and it was beginning to get very old. "I'm not a kid anymore, I've faced and defeated Voldemort, and I'm old enough to take part in the daily life of this family. Merlin has been teaching me to control my abilities and I think I've done a pretty good job of things so far. What could possibly be so bad that I have to slink back off to my room like a recalcitrant three year old rather than hear about it and deal whatever comes my way?"

Fatigue made Snape irritable and he snarled, "How about the possible death of your best friend? Would that be bad enough?"

Harry went ghostly white and swayed alarmingly, prompting Sirius to rise swiftly to catch hold of him, pulling the boy close to his chest as he supported the sagging weight. The man dropped gracelessly back into his seat, settling his son across his knees as he hugged him tightly. The young wizard buried his head in his father's shoulder, arms locked around his neck as he whispered a steady, plaintive, "No, please no."

The graying werewolf grabbed his friend's arm demanding, "What do you mean, Severus? What happened?"

His head fell forward, black hair sliding to shield his face as he rubbed his hands over the back of his neck, "Forgive me, Harry, Sirius, Remus, that came out completely wrong. I received a call from Albus and Minerva asking me to return to Hogwarts for an emergency. When I arrived, I found that Hermione Granger and her family had been attacked by the few remaining Death Eaters that escaped after Voldemort's destruction."

Harry's tear-filled green eyes lifted to stare at his honorary uncle, "Are they alright?"

"Apart from some nasty curses and hexes that required a variety of potions to cure, yes. But they were extremely lucky; the DE's destroyed much of the interior of the house and they were utterly traumatized by what happened." He met the teenager's gaze, "I'm very sorry, Harry, I never meant to just blurt something like that out to you. I only just returned from the school, having been up all night dosing them with potions and spells. Muggles don't respond very well to some of our magical potions and they needed to be monitored and Miss Granger needed someone to lean on for comfort."

"You should have send word to us, Sev," the canine animagus said softly. "We could have assisted with their care and Harry would have been able to help Hermione."

"I do beg your pardon, all of you. You're absolutely right, Sirius, I should have retrieved you three, or asked Albus to bring you. My only excuse is that I was too wrapped up in their care myself to think about it." He left his chair to go and kneel in front of the boy, one hand coming up to gently brush away a stray tear making its way down a pale cheek, "Forgive me, child, I should never had said what I did to you; you didn't deserve that."

Harry shook his head, "No; I'm sorry for pushing you the way I did, I should have just left the room so the three of you could talk and tell me about what happened later."

The potions master gave a soft rueful laugh, "How about we both admit to being at some fault, forgive each other, and start over?"

The teen leaned forward, arms twining around the man's neck, "Thanks, Uncle Sev."

Relishing in the closeness of the boy he'd pushed away for so many years while playing the role of a spy, Snape hugged him back soothingly, "Thank you, Harry."

When they pulled apart, Harry immediately asked, "Can we go see them? Where are they going to stay now that they've been compromised?"

Sirius rose, lightly tipping the young wizard back onto his own feet, "I think that going to see them would be a very good idea, Harry. Why don't we all get ready…except for you, Sev. You need several hours of uninterrupted sleep to recharge and recover from last night." He offered a hand to help his friend up from where he still knelt on the floor.

The other man nodded silently and accepted the help up. Reaching over to brush an affectionate hand over the teen's messy black hair as he passed, Severus ascended the stairs in search of his comfortable bed.

Sirius, Remus, and Harry entered the peaceful medical ward of Hogwarts and found John and Jean Granger both sleeping deeply, while their only daughter stood at the other end of the room by one of the large open windows gazing out onto the grounds. Leaving the two adults to their mission of finding the school's mediwitch, Harry hurried down the aisle towards his friend. He was still several feet away when she realized someone was there and turned towards him, face alighting with happiness when she saw her best friend.

"Harry!" The young witch cried softly as she reached for him with open arms.

The teenaged boy wrapped her securely in his embrace and began rocking her back and forth when she started sobbing. He didn't bother with platitudes; the words meant nothing as he well knew. What she needed was to be held, comforted, and to feel safe. After several minutes, Harry looked up at a touch on his shoulder to find his father had joined them. The black-haired man dropped to one knee as he stroked his fingers through the girl's thick hair as he murmured her name.

Hermione finally got herself under control and pulled away from her friend, trying to dash the tears from her face with her fingers. Sirius conjured a handkerchief and gave it to her, "Does a much better job, child."

She gave a watery chuckle and mopped her face, "Thank you, Sirius."

"Think nothing of it." He tucked some erring strands of hair back behind her ear and stood up, "Are you better now? Sometimes a good cry can help you gain a better perspective on things." He slipped one arm around the girl's still trembling shoulders in a sideways hug. The three men had grown close to Harry's friends since taking the boy in to raise and were very concerned about their wellbeing.

Leaning against the man's warm, comforting side, Hermione nodded slowly, "At least I'm not as horribly frightened as I was." She shuddered as memories threatened to swamp her again and Harry grasped her hand in a reassuring squeeze. The girl clutched his in return for a moment and allowed Sirius to gently lead her over to one of the empty beds. All three sat down, Hermione in the middle, as they encouraged her to tell them what happened.


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

_Hermione bid her parents good night and left them watching one of their favorite programs on the telly as she went upstairs to her room. Sitting at her desk, she pulled out her transfiguration homework to reread one more time to make sure she hadn't missed anything. As she was finishing it, she heard the clock downstairs chime the 10 o'clock hour, so she quickly changed into her nightclothes and grabbed a V.C. Andrews book to read until she was sleepy enough to turn out the light._

_A loud crash from below woke her abruptly from a dream where she had been flying free in her animagus form, Feather. Sitting up in her bed, confused at first as she shook off the cobwebs of her dream, Hermione heard her father opening their bedroom door and start down the hall to the stairs. Scrambling free of her sheets, the girl grabbed her wand instinctively and slipped silently to the door._

_Her father had already started down the stairs as she stepped out into the hall. Her mother had just passed her bedroom and was almost to the top landing when the first hex lit up the house with a sickly yellow glow. Mr. Granger tumbled down the last few steps and landed in a heap at the bottom, moaning in pain._

_Jean Granger cried out her husband's name as she attempted to rush down the steps to reach him. A stunning hex struck her midway down and she collapsed on the stairs without a sound._

_Hermione was petrified but managed to keep her wits about her enough to conjure her otter patronus, whisper a message to it, and send it hurtling on its way to Hogwarts. She was thankful she was such a diligent pupil in her studies that she was able to cast such a spell and clung to the belief that Albus Dumbledore would soon arrive with help._

_A scream from below brought her attention back to the situation at hand and she ran to the top of the steps to find that the Death Eaters had levitated her parents into the living room and some were beginning to torture them while others tossed blasting curses at various bits of furniture for fun. Before Hermione to think of a spell to cast, she was grabbed from behind and yanked against a hard chest._

"_Well, well, well. And what do we have here? Could it be a little mud-blood for us to play with?" She didn't recognize the voice and his silver mask hid his face as the man holding her dragged her down the stairs to where the rest of her family were writhing in pain._

_Hermione was thrown to the floor beside her father and a female voice cried out, "Crucio!" The teenaged girl was unable to prevent the shrieks of pain that were torn from her as the curse went on and on. It seemed like forever before she was finally released and her body buckled to lay motionless on the floor except for her heaving lungs. _

_Another "Crucio", this time from a man rang out and she was again screaming and thrashing on the floor as pain overwhelmed her. This time, however, the pain was cut mercifully short as several loud pops were heard outside and the door to their home exploded inward. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, came through it, followed by a legion of Aurors. _

_The Death Eaters didn't stand a chance against the fire-power brought down on them and quickly found themselves stunned and restrained. Professor Dumbledore made his way to the Granger family with Kingsley and Tonks, and between the three of them, transported the stricken family back to the school for care…_

Hermione had just finished her recitation of the events at her home when the school's mediwitch, Poppy Pomfrey, hurried over with a glass of bluish/gray liquid that she placed in the girl's hand. After making a face at the potion, she took a deep breath and swallowed it down as fast as she could, then accepted the glass of water Madame handed her to wash the taste away.

"There now, child," the matron soothed, "that should be your last dose. Anymore shaking or trembling? No? Good, then. As soon as Professor Dumbledore has a safe place for you and your family to go, I can release you."

"Actually, Poppy, I was hoping to speak with Sirius about that very subject."

The little group turned to find the headmaster, followed by Remus and Minerva, approaching them with a faint smile and rose to greet him. The former Transfiguration professor had stepped into the role of headmistress during the previous year due to the Tri-Wizard Tournament and would continue in that manner so Albus would be able to get some rest on occasion. The elderly wizard gently drew Hermione close for a brief hug and lightly stroked a hand over her thick brown hair before he released her. While he was supposed to be impartial to all the students under his care, the man was especially devoted to Harry, Hermione, the Weasley children, and a few others who had won his heart for an assortment of reasons.

The canine animagus nodded respectfully at his mentor, "Hermione and her parents are more than welcome to spend the rest of the summer at the manor with us, Albus."

A warm smile and delighted twinkle lit up the man's eyes, "Thank you, Sirius; your offer of hospitality is heart-warming, but only partially necessary. I was actually hoping that you could take in Miss Granger until school starts while I place her parents with relatives elsewhere."

Sirius nodded, "Of course; we'd love to have her."

"Sir?" Hermione ventured hesitantly. "Why am I being separated from my family? Am I placing them in danger?"

Albus sighed heavily and sank into a chair that appeared behind him, "My dear girl, I do not wish to lie to you so I will tell you this: the Death Eaters have singled you out for several reasons. One being, of course, that you are one of Harry's closest friends. Secondly, you are the brightest witch of your generation by far and thus a threat to them. And third, you are Muggle-born, which to them is quite possibly the greatest insult to those of pure-blooded fanaticism." He looked over at Harry, "Though you defeated Voldemort, some of his followers are still out there and they are looking for revenge. They will try to strike at you in any way they can; even through your friends and family."

Harry had gone pale when Dumbledore pointed out that he was one of the reasons for the strike against Hermione, and his skin went ashen at the comment about not only his friends being in danger, but his new-found family as well.

Seeing the realization dawning on the boy's face, Sirius caught hold of the teen's chin and turned his head so he could look into the emerald eyes, "Harry, no matter what may be going through your head right at this moment, never, for one second, think that I will abandon you or let you abandon me thinking to keep me safe. If you were to leave me, I would have no choice but to focus everything into finding you. That would leave me far more vulnerable than having a few Death Eaters trying to single me out." He ran his free hand over the messy black hair until he gently gripped the back of the boy's neck, "Promise me, son, that you will not do anything foolish."

"Only if you promise me the same thing, dad," Harry whispered softly.

"On my honor as a wizard, Harry, I will not go looking for trouble with the Death Eaters."

"On my honor as a wizard, Sirius, I will not go looking for trouble with the Death Eaters, either."

The two black-haired males then turned to look at Remus. The werewolf lifted his eyebrows and asked mildly, "Yes?"

"Remus," the canine animagus started.

"Sirius," came the cool response.

"Now, Moony, you know you can't go haring off after Death Eaters on your own."

"I'm sure Sev could be talked into going along with me."

"Remus!"

"Sirius!"

The young Lord huffed in annoyance, "Would you please stop that?"

"Stop what?"

"You know very well what, you irritating, aggravating, wolf!"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about, Padfoot. Are you feeling alright?"

Before Sirius could respond or lose what little remained of his control, Harry stepped in. Moving into a position between the two men, the teenager reached out with both hands to lightly clasp his teacher's robe before raising anxious green eyes to meet the man's amber gaze. The werewolf tenderly enfolded the boy's hands with his own and smiled reassuringly.

"Uncle Remus, please, please don't do anything that might get you hurt. I couldn't bear to lose someone else I love," the young wizard whispered.

Remus Lupin melted inside at the child's fearful words and he warmly enfolded the son of his best friend in a tight embrace, "It's alright, cub, it's alright; I swear to you on my honor as a wizard that I will not go looking for Death Eaters." He rocked the boy slowly back and forth, running one soothing hand up and down the thin back as he continued to murmur reassurances.

Hermione, standing behind Lupin, bit her lip in a desperate attempt to not burst out laughing when Harry peered at her from around his uncle's enveloping arms, smirked mischievously, and winked. She had to hand it to her friend; Harry certainly did know how to subtly manipulate the men in his family when it came to keeping them safe!

Professor McGonagall pulled a handkerchief from her pocket swiftly to apply to her face as she turned away slightly. Anyone watching her would have thought she was dabbing away tears at the tender scene playing out before her. However, if one looked closely, they would have noticed her shoulders shaking, not with sobs, but with laughter. Having raised her own children to adulthood, she was quite familiar with the machinations of the young. She had been told in Harry's first year how he talked the Sorting Hat out of placing him in Slytherin; and after what she had just witnessed, Minerva could easily see why!


	10. Chapter 10

PART 10

After bidding her parents a tearful farewell, Hermione joined the little family as they returned to the manor and set her up in a bedroom suite near Harry's. She was given another chance to thoroughly thank her potion's professor for his assistance to her family and silently snickered through another of Harry's pitifully distressed pleas for Sev's promise to not go after the Death Eaters. The girl had to smile at the obvious display of love and affection from the normally stern man as he hugged the teenager and vowed on his honor to remain safe.

When the men went downstairs to start lunch, Harry drew his best female friend into his rooms and introduced her to the portrait of his parents before they settled side by side in the window seat to talk.

"I have to admit, Harry, that was well played." 

Dark brows rose to disappear under his fringe of hair as the boy asked, "What was?"

"Getting Sirius, Remus, and Professor Snape to promise what they did for you."

"You CAN call him Sev you know, Feather."

"Quit trying to avoid the topic, Istar."

The young man grinned at her, "Turnabout is fair play, 'Mione. Sirius wanted me to make such a promise; I was going to make sure that all three of them stayed safe, too."

Hermione abruptly bumped him with her shoulder, "And did I hear you call Sirius 'dad'?"

A huge smile swept over Harry's face as he turned his head to meet the girls' eyes, "Yeah. I hadn't had a chance to owl you to let you know; Sirius formally adopted me, _Blood_ Adoption. He's as much my father as James Potter was, maybe more so since I don't actually remember James."

"Oh, Harry, that's wonderful! I'm so glad that you have a real, official family now!" Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug which he reciprocated.

The two friends talked for a while longer about the adoption and Harry was hard-pressed not to say anything about the painting of Merlin but he knew that his father was planning on talking to her about it over lunch. He was eager to see her reaction to the ancient mage when the time came, knowing how much she loved to learn about such things.

"Are you two hungry?"

They looked up at the soft question and found the canine animagus leaning in the doorway smiling in their direction. The smell of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and some type of soup slithered into the room, causing both teenage stomachs to rumble. They were quickly on their feet and followed the man down to the kitchen where Remus was setting the food on the table while Severus poured drinks for everyone.

As the small group finished up, Sirius turned warm grey eyes on his new house guest and smiled, "Hermione, there are some things that you need to know about while you're staying with us this summer."

The young witch finished swallowing the last bite of her sandwich and gave the new father of her friend her full attention, "Of course, Sirius; I figured that there would be rules to follow."

He chuckled softly, "As Sev and Remus will tell you, I'm not the rule-giver in this house. Yes, I expect certain things to be followed, but I'm more into making sure Harry has had the opportunity to rest, learn, and have fun while he's here." The other two men snorted softly at the understatement. Sirius ignored them and continued, "I know that you and Harry are friends and have no interest in each other romantically…" Both teens goggled at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter at the thought. The handsome Lord joined them, "Yes, yes, I know. However, some rules of propriety must be followed."

"Such as?" Harry inquired.

Severus spoke up instantly, "Such as, if you are in the same room with only the two of you present, please leave the door open or at the very least cracked. We trust you, but we want to make sure no one can cast aspersions on your characters. Also, the Ministry is unable to track the use of underage magics here at the manor and on its lands. This is not, however, a license for you to use magic and spells whenever you feel like it. With proper supervision, you may use your animagus form and fly with Istar." Both kids grinned at that idea.

"When there is a full moon, we expect you to take the proper precautions," Remus inserted his two cents. "I know that you have spent enough time around me to know what to expect, but I do not want to ever find either of you becoming lax in your vigilance around me when I'm Moony. Understand?"

Both heads nodded in agreement with the two professors before turning to lock gazes with Sirius as he rejoined the conversation, "As I'm sure Harry has told you, I did formally and officially adopt him by Blood and name him my heir. What we didn't realize at the time was the possible repercussions of joining his bloodline to mine. As such, we've had to ask a…an unusual source for assistance in training Harry to control his much empowered magic." He saw the girl's eyes light up at the potential chance to learn something new and smiled, "I must ask that what you see and hear in this house remains here when you leave for school. Can you do that?"

Hermione almost looked insulted at the question, but she gamely responded, "Of course, Sirius. I know how to keep secrets." She sent Harry a smirk that he returned as the two visualized all the trouble they'd gotten into over the past few years together.

Grey eyes rolled in exasperation, "And I'm sure that the three of us," he indicated himself and the other two men, "will never know just what you've done while not under our protection." When the kids laughed and shook their heads, Sirius heaved a put-upon sigh and continued, "Hermione, I need to ask you to take a Wizard's Oath that what we are going to share doesn't go any further than this manor. I know that you are young in years, but you are extraordinarily intelligent and able to understand things many adults would have troubles with. I want you to know that you do not have to do this if you choose not to; no one will think less of you."

The girl sat up straight in her chair, met his eyes squarely, and softly stated, "Sirius Black, on my honor as a witch, I will never betray this family or home. I know and trust each and every one of you, so I have no fears in making this oath."

"Well done," Snape murmured quietly.

Harry bounced out of his chair, "NOW can I introduce her to my grandfather?"

Sirius responded with an affirmative even as Hermione demanded, "Grandfather?"

The boy caught her wrist and tugged her out of her seat, down the hall, and into the library. He stopped in front of the fireplace and pointed up at the huge painting on display, "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Oh, Harry, it's amazing!" The young woman admired the workmanship on the frame, sensing the magic it contained, and exclaimed over the detail in the painting itself. Having grown accustomed to the pictures at Hogwarts moving about from frame to frame at will, she was not surprised when an imposing man suddenly entered the setting. She was, however, staggered when she recognized him from other pictures she had seen and turned to her friend for an explanation.

Harry grinned as he bowed formally to the commanding presence on the canvas, "Merlin Taliesin Ambrosius, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Avalon, Chief of Bards and Druids, and father of Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake of Avalon, may I please present to you my dearest friend, Hermione Jean Granger, Muggle-born daughter of John and Jean Granger? 'Mione, meet my new grandfather."

The Merlin smiled warmly down at the disbelieving girl, "So you are my young grandson's friend. He has told me much about you, your intelligence, and your fascination with learning."

Hermione blushed at the flattering tone as she dropped a charming curtsy, "My Lord Merlin, it's an honor to meet you, to speak with you, I…I mean…"

A deep rich chuckled filled the library with warmth, "Be at ease, child. You may address me as either Taliesin or grandfather as young Harry does." The pale blue eyes were filled with sincere concern and gentleness as they fixed themselves on the slender teenager, "Sirius informed me of what occurred in your dwelling, my dear. I am grieved that adult wizards would do so foul a thing to anyone, but especially to a magical child. I do hope that they are dealt with in the proper manner."

"They have been," came a dark voice behind them. The teens turned to find Snape watching them from the doorway. He moved in closer to the fireplace as he continued, "We just received word from Kingsley Shacklebolt; all of the Death Eaters were found guilty of numerous crimes and sentenced to life in Azkaban. Apparently the Ministry has learned from previous mistakes and has also imposed a greater punishment: the loss of their magic. They invoked an ancient ritual that cuts a wizard off completely from magic so that they can never again use it to harm others."

Merlin nodded in understanding, "That would no doubt be the rite I created in my era due to some of the wizards under my tutelage becoming dangerous. As I was Lord of Avalon and Arch Druid, I was both judge and executioner so it fell to me to extinguish their bond to the arcane. Though, many of them begged for death when they were cut off from magic as it feels as though a part of you has died from within." Taliesin's eyes darkened, "I found it a much more suitable punishment to let them live cut off from their powers, knowing what they had once been and never would again exult in." The man shook his head, banishing his morbid wanderings and smiling again down at the children who watched him with trepidation on their faces, "But no matter. The ones responsible for the misuse of their magic on a young one have been punished. Tell me, child, would you like to join in Harry's lessons each day?"

"Of course!" Hermione enthused before backtracking slightly, "What is he learning?"

Her friend burst out laughing, "I told you she would accept before actually knowing what she was getting into!"

The druid was chuckling as well, "Aye, so you did, lad, so you did. Harry and Sirius will explain all to you, Hermione, and you are welcome to join us tomorrow. Now, if you will forgive me, there is something else needing my attention; so I will bid you farewell and good rest."

"See you tomorrow, grandfather," Harry chirped.

The painting was again vacant when Hermione turned to her companion, "Well?"

Swallowing back another laugh, Harry caught her hand, "Come on, 'Mione, let's go outside and I'll tell you all about it."


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the delay in posting; as everyone knows, real life has a bad habit of coming along and biting you in the butt when you least expect it!

PART 11

Several days slipped by, filled with lessons from the great Merlin as he worked hard with Harry to master and harness his powers. Hermione had been amazed when the man first left the painting and immediately set about questioning him in depth. The mage was quite pleased with the girl's keen mind and intuitive grasp of magic and so was happy to answer as much as he could.

Severus was called upon to work with Harry on his Occlumency; Taliesin had explained that such an ability would help him clear his mind when emotions tried to overwhelm him. Emotions were, more often than not, one of the prime reasons a wizard lost control of their gifts. Once that happened, devastation and destruction were quick to follow. If Harry could learn to realize when his emotions were getting out of hand, he would be able to call upon his Occlumency training to separate himself from what he was feeling and not lose control.

Knowing the boy's interest in spell-casting, Remus became his dueling instructor with Sirius his partner. This had many benefits as Harry had to keep his emotions under wraps in order to properly cast his spells. There were several times when the canine animagus cast charms at an unprepared Harry who would gradually get more and more frustrated and angry. The teen had to learn to harness his anger and channel it into his spells rather than letting it overrule him. It was fortunate for all of them that the three men in the household were also extremely powerful wizards in their own right and able to prevent serious accidents or injuries.

A big area of concern was teaching Harry how to manage the amount of power he was putting into his magic. He had a tendency to react without thinking much of the time and placed people in danger.

Of course, it didn't help that the four men had devised what they thought would be the best way to teach him.

A week after Hermione had moved in with them, the household was startled awake at 2 AM by a loud roar, followed instantly by a huge crash and screech of pain. Everyone rushed to Harry's room and found the boy plastered to his headboard shaking, while Severus, in the form of his panther, was attempting to peel himself out of the wall he'd been thrown into by the teen's terror.

Heading over to the panther, Remus quickly cast a diagnostic spell to see if he was hurt and how badly. Fortune favors fools and the potions master only had some nasty bruises rather than broken bones. He was, however, having problems extricating himself from the wall and after Remus chuckled over it for a few minutes assisted him while Hermione stood in the doorway in shock.

Sirius swiftly went to the boy's bedside and instantly had an armful of terrified, tearful child who attempted to climb inside his skin with him. He wasn't sure what had the teen more upset, the possible danger and injuries his teacher had been exposed to or having had the life scared out of him by a huge black panther pouncing and roaring at him while he'd been sound asleep.

Once free of the wall, which Remus calmly repaired with a flick of his wand, Severus transformed and approached the bed, but before he could open him mouth, Sirius cut him off with a shake of his head. With a quiet sigh, he summoned a calming potion from his private stores and handed it over to the other man.

Gently tipping the boy's head back, Sirius poured a generous amount of potion down his throat, handed the vial back to Sev, and wrapped both arms around his still shuddering son. He murmured soft words of reassurance as he rubbed the thin back under his hands until the potion did its job and the teen quieted.

"Better now?"

Still leaning against his father, Harry nodded before lifting accusing green eyes, still awash with tears, to his potions teacher, "Why?"

Severus sighed deeply, "You need to learn to control not only your emotions, but the amount of power you put into spells. More often than not, you react without thinking which places others in jeopardy. Even when startled or fearful, you need manage the strength you exert so you don't accidently kill someone."

Harry's face paled further at the thought before he glared at the man and snarled, "Then aren't you the lucky one that I _**was**_ able to control myself enough to not throw you _**through**_ that wall rather than just _**into**_ it?"

The man shrugged and winced slightly when he tweaked a sore muscle, "It was my risk to take. The Merlin and I spoke at length this evening and decided to try this and see your response."

Before the teen could reply, another deep male voice joined in the discussion, "You reacted instantly to protect yourself from possible danger, lad, and I can tell you that I am pleased with the way you responded. As you said, you could have just as easily thrown Severus through the wall; or just as simply blown him to pieces. Fortunately for all of us, you are loath to take a life or inflict serious harm upon others, even at the expense of yourself."

Harry shot the canvas situated on the wall opposite his bed a nasty look, for once completely unconcerned with manners and protocol when interacting with the Merlin of Britain, "Then I hope that this means we're done with the let's-scare-the-crap-out-of-Harry moments for the rest of the summer?"

Taliesin didn't take offense and gave a soft laugh, "Aye, my lad; you have proven yourself a worthy successor to your Bloodlines. We will continue to work more on controlling your emotions, but you have far surpassed my expectations in a very short time." With a slight bow, the druid left the canvas, returning it to the control of Harry's parents who had stepped into the background when he'd appeared.

The potions master reached out a gentle hand to touch the teen on top of the head and felt his heart constrict when Harry ducked away and buried his face in his father's shoulder. Sirius sighed and motioned his friends to take Hermione and return to their own rooms while he dealt with his outraged son.

Remus gently gripped Sev's slumped shoulder as he passed in sympathy before sweeping one arm around the teenaged girl hovering in the doorway. He guided both of them out of the small study room that sat between Harry's bedroom and the hallway, closing both doors on the way. Once they were out of the room, the werewolf turned to Hermione, "Why don't you head back to bed, I doubt that anything else will occur to disturb the household."

The pretty girl snorted in disbelief, "You just keep thinking that; perhaps one day you'll be right." Then with a sniff and glare in the direction of her potions teacher, she entered her room and closed the door with a sharp snap.

Shaking his head, Lupin physically turned his friend in the direction of the rooms the dark-haired man used when staying at the manor. With a soft spell, he summoned a small glass bottle and a mug and proceeded to fill it about half way with the warm amber liqueur.

"Here, Onyx, I think you could use a shot of this to steady your nerves."

For once, the other man didn't argue, though he rarely imbibed in any type of spirits due to his father's alcoholism. He tossed the drink back and handed the mug to the werewolf before dropping to sit on the edge of his bed, burying his face in his hands, "Go ahead and say it."

"I don't think you need to hear it. You're already beating yourself up enough without me adding to it."

Sev looked up at his friend who was leaning lightly against the dresser, "You know that it had to be done to test the boy and see just how he would react under such conditions. He needs to be in control at all times or his powers will consume him."

Remus just gazed at him. "Lupin, you know as well as I that Harry is an extremely gifted wizard and must be in command of his magic."

Still staring. "Remus, I talked this over with Merlin and he agreed with me that Harry needed to be caught off guard to determine just where he stood on using either offensive or defensive magics when attacked unawares."

Those amber eyes just kept boring into his skull. "Moony, he reacted far better than I or Merlin anticipated. He maintained control and responded defensively rather than with aggression as most people would have. This is a great sign of how much he has learned in such a short time. There should be no more true concerns about him being overwhelmed by his power."

Did the man even blink? "WILL YOU STOP STARING AT ME AND SAY SOMETHING? ANYTHING?"

"Idiot."

Severus flopped back onto his bed, arms spread-eagled, "Obviously."

In Harry's room, Sirius had released his son long enough to go to his bathroom, wet a washcloth with warm water, and return to hand it to the boy. He then sat down on the bed with his back against the headboard and began to gently rub the tense shoulders of the teen while Harry held the warm damp cloth to his eyes.

When he felt the tight muscles relax, the man turned Harry to lay on the bed with his head cradled on one leg and tenderly carded his fingers through the messy black hair. Sirius removed the cooling cloth and softly talked about growing up with James, Remus, Severus, and Lily until Harry went limp as sleep finally overcame him. Carefully, so he didn't awaken the child, he slipped off the bed, pulling the covers up snugly, and left the room in search of his friends.

Hearing Severus' raised voice, the canine animagus entered the other man's suite of rooms in time to see him collapse back onto the bed after being called an idiot by Remus. He actually agreed wholeheartedly with the werewolf's opinion, but he was also concerned that his friend hadn't been physically hurt by hitting the wall or emotionally hurt by Harry's rejection of his touch.

"Will he live?" Sirius inquired of the sandy-haired man who nodded to him as he entered.

"Yes; he's more upset that Harry refused to let him apologize in his own way for doing something so foolish."

"Well, I have to agree; what he did was pretty foolish and idiotic."

Sitting up on the edge of the bed, Snape gave them his best glare, "The idiotic fool is right in front of you and can hear you perfectly well."

"Did you hear someone say something, Padfoot?"

"Actually, no, Moony, I didn't. But then, your hearing as a werewolf is much sharper than mine. Perhaps it was Harry?"

Remus shook his head, "No, it certainly wasn't Harry, too high a pitch for him. Was it possibly Hermione?"

At that, Sev snarled wordlessly and rose to stalk to his bathroom, slamming it in irritation. The other two men exchanged smiles before disappearing to their own bedrooms for what remained of the night.


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you for all the reviews and personal messages I've received since embarking on this journey, they are much appreciated!

PART 12

Harry was irritated enough with both Severus and Merlin that he avoided all contact with them the next couple of days, preferring to spend the time with his father and uncle Remus practicing dueling. This helped him to express his frustrations in a constructive manner and had the added benefit of teaching him to control that frustration. He finally forgave Snape one morning when it was just the two of them in the garden.

The teenager was seated under a large flowering tree with his legs crossed, hands resting lightly on his knees. With his eyes closed, Harry took several slow deep breaths in and out, silently counting each one as he let the peace of the garden with its sweet scents and soft birdsong sooth him into meditation. Practicing his Occlumency, he cleared his mind of all thoughts, creating a picture in his head. He was seated in a field of beautiful flowers with a crystal clear stream slowly forming a circle around the area while colorful birds flitted about with sweet chirps. Harry carefully began raising a strong, high wall around the stream and flowers, capping it with a dome that allowed sunshine in, but nothing else.

Distantly, he heard a voice murmur, "Legilimens." Something began poking gently at his wall and dome, trying to find a weak spot to get in. When that failed, the poking became more and more firm until it was like a battering ram beating against the wall. Harry smiled to himself and raised the volume in his mind of birdsong and tossed some large rocks into the stream flowing inside the wall so the sounds of the water rushing became louder.

The battering against his wall continued until finally Harry raised a column of water from the stream, opened a small hole in the dome overhead, and pushed the water through it with the force of a tidal wave. The other ceased attempting to get in as it was too busy trying to escape the flood chasing it away from the peaceful garden.

With a slight smirk, Harry opened his eyes and looked up to meet the obsidian gaze of his potions professor, "You lose."

"That was very well done, Harry. I couldn't find any weaknesses in the wall or dome and your use of the water coming after me was ingenious. I especially liked how you brushed my noise aside by increasing the sounds of your garden and masking it."

The boy bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement of the praise, a faint reddening of his cheeks giving away his pleasure at being able to beat the master Occumens. The tall man slowly lowered himself to kneel in front of his student, a hand started to reach out to pat the teen's shoulder as he had done so often in the past couple of years, only to flutter anxiously away before coming back to grip the other hand tightly in his lap.

Harry studied his teacher, silently noting the nerves and anguish his hands and whitening knuckles betrayed; something that was rare in a man who was always so tightly in control of himself and his emotions. Reaching out, the boy caught hold of the man's larger hands, separating them and griping them in his own. Snape closed his eyes, savoring the moment of closeness with his honorary nephew, grieving for the pain and fear he'd inflicted on the teen.

"I shouldn't, but I forgive you," Harry stated softly. "You really scared me that night, but not because you attacked me as Onyx. When I realized that it was you I was throwing into a wall, I was terrified that I hadn't been able to curb my power and might cause you serious injury. Then, you and grandfather were both so…so…blasé about the whole thing, it just infuriated me. You could have been seriously hurt if I hadn't kept control." The boy's face paled in remembrance, "You could have been _killed_ if I hadn't pulled back on my magic in time."

"But I wasn't, because you stayed your power and responded exactly how we've taught you. I know what sort of chance I was taking, but I felt that it would be best if I were the one to do it." Snape released the teen's hands and rose to pace in front of him. "You and Remus have been close ever since he was your teacher in third year and if you had hurt him, you would have never forgiven yourself. And as for Sirius; well, we both know that if anything had happened to your father by your own hand, it would have completely devastated you. You and I were at odds for quite sometime, and for a while there, I know you gave thought to all manner of nasty things happening to the black bat of the dungeons."

Harry's eyes narrowed and blazed with fury; when he spoke, his voice was low as it trembled, "I haven't thought of you in that way for a very long time, and I would be just as upset if you'd been seriously hurt or killed by my actions as I would have been if it'd been my father or Remus." He rose to face his potions professor, stepping in front of him so the man was forced to stop, "Don't you _**dare **_ever place yourself in that position with me again. Do you understand me? _**Never!"**_

One part of Sev's brain registered the fact that, even though the boy was completely enraged, nothing around them was being affected by that. This was the proof he needed that Harry had been successful in mastering his powerful magic and was no longer in danger of burning himself out or accidently killing someone with it. The other part was stunned by the depth of emotions flashing over the teen's mobile face. Whatever he had done in the past while trying to maintain his cover as a spy had long been forgiven and forgotten by Harry. He truly would have been distraught if something had happened to his teacher.

Reaching out hesitantly, Severus placed his hands on the teen's shaking shoulders, "I don't deserve you, Harry. Somehow, you've overcome the damage I did when I was Dumbledore's spy and you and I have grown closer than I ever dared to dream. You and I, with Sirius and Remus, will continue to grow stronger together as we face whatever storms may plague us, because our love as a family will be our guide through life."

Harry leaned forward into his honorary uncle's embrace and wrapped his arms around the man, "You deserve much more than any of us can give you, like a wife and kids of your own. I hope that one day you'll be able to forgive yourself everything you feel you've done wrong in the past and let yourself live again. Truly live."

Arms tightening around the young wizard, Severus allowed himself the luxury of tears for a brief moment. The unconditional love Harry gave to others made him feel very humble and unworthy; but it also gave him hope. Hope for a brighter future to make up for a darkened past.

Later that same afternoon, Harry had a similar confrontation with Taliesin when the ancient enchanter left his frame to converse face-to-face with the teen as they strolled along the edge of the lake located on the property. For a child who rarely stood up for himself, Harry was the exact opposite when it came to the safety of his family and friends. Severus had once told the boy he had a hero complex with no sense of self-preservation, proven by the many times he had run straight into the arms of death incarnate to save others.

This was apparent when he went toe-to-toe with the legendary Merlin.

"How _**dare **_you send one of my family members into something like that? Do you realize that I could have serious injured if not _**killed **_Sev with that stunt?"

Taliesin waved his had negligibly as he wandered calmly along the shoreline, "I was of the belief that your innate sense of fairness would prevent you from doing bodily harm to another living being. Besides, Severus Snape would have been the most logical of sacrifices bearing in mind your attachment to the werewolf and the young Lord."

It took Harry only a moment to figure out exactly what the man had implied with his comments and when he did, the results were incredible. His body froze in place as his emerald eyes blazed with a ferocity he'd never felt before in his life. In a display of magic that would have been far beyond him only a few months ago, Harry conjured a cyclone of water from the deep lake beside him without the use of either wand, gesture, or spoken word and dumped the full force of it down on the unsuspecting head of his ancient tutor.

Completely shocked, soaking wet, and sprawled on the ground from the strength of the tempest, Taliesin stared up at the enraged child. "Harry, lad, what…?"

"Severus Snape is _**not **_the expendable crewman from _Star Trek_!"

Baffled by the phrase Merlin dared to query, "What is that?"

Harry began to pace in agitation as he snapped, "It's a science fiction show. Whenever they go to a new planet and face an enemy, there's always a member of the crew that gets killed so they don't have to sacrifice one of the main characters. You always know when someone is going to die because they send along someone you've never seen before and who only has a line or two to say before they drop dead of some horrible attack or disease."

Having spoken at length to the family and had the opportunity to actually witness some of the wonders of television, the man vaguely understood. "And how did I give you that impression, lad?"

Turning to face his grandfather, Harry snarled, "There is no such thing as a 'logical sacrifice', as you put it; especially when it comes to human life. If Sev had been killed by my own hand, I would have been just as upset as if it had been Remus or Sirius. I've had to take a life already; I don't want to be responsible for murdering someone else!"

Slowly rising to his feet, Merlin met the flashing eyes of the boy steadily, "The life you took was necessary. Voldemort had to be stopped and you were the only one who could have done it from the explanation given."

"I had no choice in that, and yes I would kill him all over again if I had to. But to slaughter someone who is a part of my family, someone I care deeply about, is completely reprehensible to me; especially for something as foolish as a test of my abilities. Do you, can you, understand that?"

"Of course I can, child. However, the fact remains that you responded to the situation you were presented with admirably, and Severus came to no lasting harm."

Merlin was prepared for the second dousing of water that came at him and redirected it back into the lake from whence it had been drawn. He actually smiled which only enflamed the teenager even more if that was possible. Knowing that the man he faced was able to withstand his strongest attacks, Harry let him have it for putting him through hell.

Standing at the window overlooking the lake, the three men observing the figures walking along the shoreline were stunned at the initial attack. Hermione, curled up on one of the comfortable settees with one of her ever-present books, looked up questioningly when they attempted to suck all the air out of the room with their gasps of horror. Rising, she joined them at the window in time to see Merlin rise to his feet and push aside the second attack.

At that, Sirius tried to apparate down to the lake to break up the battle, and found that he couldn't. Each of the men made the attempt and felt an odd heaviness come over them when they tried.

"One of them has put up anti-apparition fields," Remus growled.

Sirius pulled his wand and snarled a spell at the window in front of them to make it either open or explode (Hermione wasn't sure which), and dropped it when it suddenly turned hot in his hand.

Severus went to the door of the room, but it was covered with a spell that gently reflected him every time he tried to get through.

"Don't bother," the werewolf informed them when they made more attempts, "Merlin or Harry has made it impossible for us to interfere in this battle. I don't know if it's to protect us from being injured by back-lashing spells or just to let them get everything out of their systems without dealing with our interference." He turned steady amber eyes on his friends, "We just have to trust Merlin."

That didn't sit well with any of them, but they forced themselves to remain by the window and watch the skirmish unfolding before them.

After the first few silent spells Harry threw at Taliesin, he found his fury ebbing away and a curious thrill taking over. Here he was, Harry James Potter-Black, the so called boy-who-lived-twice, fighting it out with the Merlin of Britain. This was the man of legends of myths; someone to revere and even fear.

_**What was he THINKING?**_

The teen quickly realized that Taliesin wasn't trying to injure him in any way, but the man also wasn't taking it easy on him. Harry had dared to attack him, not once but twice, and he was going to learn a lesson from this.

When the enchanter suddenly threw a wall of ice at him, Harry conjured a blast of fire to melt it and both combatants were engulfed in steam. When it vanished, the boy found himself face-to-face with a snowy white dragon of epic proportions that fixed him with baleful ice blue eyes.

The three men and one young lady watching the fight were stunned speechless at the sight of the magnificent white beast glowering down at the teenaged boy. Hermione noticed that Harry's lips were moving and she bit down on her tongue to keep from laughing as she pictured in her mind what he was saying to the dragon as he began to back away slowly…

_::Good dragon…nice dragon…please don't eat me, dragon!::_

Her thoughts weren't far from the truth.


	13. Chapter 13

PART 13

::speaking in parseltongue::

_::Uh…nice dragon…er…Merlin. Please, please don't make a snack of me. You win! I am sooo sorry I started this and promise never to do it again!::_

Harry had taken several steps backwards as the dragon crept closer to him, steam slowly curling up from it's nostrils with each breath. Staring at the boy with unblinking eyes, the mythical creature drew its head back, inhaling deeply, before abruptly blasting the young wizard with a thunderous roar. Harry yelped and leapt back, the heel of his right foot catching on a rock protruding from the bank of the lake.

Wind-milling his arms frantically, Harry tried to save himself. He would have succeeded, too, if it hadn't been for the giant claw that suddenly poked him gently in the chest. Flying back, Harry landed full length in the cool waters of the lake behind him. Spluttering, he sat up and looked to the edge of the water to see his grandfather resuming his human form.

The ice blue eyes glittered with suppressed mirth, "_**Now**_ I win."

The youngster scrambled inelegantly out of the lake and shook his sopping hair back out of his face with a grin, "I'm pretty sure you would have won regardless, sir. I'm only a kid still and don't know nearly as many spells as I'd like for a duel against someone as powerful as you."

Merlin laughed heartily before becoming more serious, "Too true, lad; however, you show much potential for the future. One day, Harry, in the not so distant future, you will truly be a force to be reckoned with. Already you have mastered control over your magic and are far stronger than most wizards. I would hazard a guess that the only others who could match you reside within yonder manor. When you attain adulthood, you will be hard pressed to find any to match you in pure magical supremacy. Even young Lord Black may be unable to defeat you in a matched battle; and that is saying something considering the sheer power in his own magical core."

The teen shivered a moment when a cool breeze swept over him from the lake; then, without a truly conscience thought, his clothing and hair were abruptly dry and warmed for his comfort. He smiled faintly up at his honorary grandfather and weakly joked, "At least absolute power has its perks on occasion."

Taliesin placed one hand firmly on the smaller wizard's shoulder and leaned in close, "Just remember this advice, child: absolute power can corrupt absolutely if one is injudicious in its use."

Harry nodded his understanding. Why couldn't he, for just once in his life, be a normal, simple kid? He was the savior of the wizarding world, not once but twice. He'd had to deal with an abusive upbringing. He was the godson of a former prisoner of Azkaban. He was the adopted son of said prisoner now. He was wealthy beyond imagining (at least once he came into his majority). His animagus form was a night black winged unicorn. He could claim the Merlin of Britain as his grandfather, many, many, many times removed. And let's not even get into everything that happened during his Hogwart's school years up to this point!

Once again, Harry was different.

And once again, Harry didn't like it.

Things settled down again in the manor house. Merlin continued to tutor the teenagers in druidic magics while the professors in residence made sure they not only did their summer homework, but also had time to be kids and have fun. Hermione quickly grew accustomed to the daily hexing wars that occurred between the three men and joined Harry in double-teaming on occasion.

As July began to wane, Sirius took Harry aside and asked him what he would like to have or do for his birthday. "Anything you want, pup; just name it." Harry took a couple of days to think about it before returning to his father with his ideas.

The canine animagus was seated at his desk in the library going over accounts when the teen walked in. Harry closed the door behind him, a tacit request for privacy in a home where doors were usually left wide open or at the very least cracked. As soon as he approached the seated man, Sirius raised one finger as he continued writing with the other hand quickly. Once he finished, the young Lord turned all of his focus on his son.

"Sorry about that, Harry; I just needed to make a note to check something with one of the properties before I forgot about it. What can I do for you?"

The youngster settled himself on the chair beside the desk, "I thought about my birthday, and had a couple of ideas." The older wizard nodded for him to continue. "I thought, since last year we had my birthday at Hogwarts with a bunch of people, this year could be a little quieter and just be you, Remus, Sev, Hermione, Ron and I. Maybe a trip to Diagon Alley for ice cream and a dinner out someplace? Does that sound do-able?"

Grey eyes studied the teen for several long moments, "Are you sure, Harry? We can do anything you want, you know. A trip someplace, something special you're wanting or needing as a gift? I don't want you to feel like you can't ask for something because of cost or that you don't deserve it in some way." When the boy dropped his eyes abruptly, Sirius knew he'd hit upon something, "Harry, son, look at me, please."

Slowly, the brilliant green gaze came up to meet his father's eyes, and at the same time, he began twisting his hands slightly in his lap. Sirius spotted this instantly and scooted his chair so that he was directly in front of his son, taking the much smaller hands in his own.

"Tell me," he murmured softly.

Harry blinked a couple of times to try to clear the gathering of moisture as he clung to the warm, steady hands on his, "I know that you have a lot of money, Siri, but I don't want you to waste it on me for something silly. Something big that involves everyone should be discussed and agreed upon."

The older wizard leaned in closer, trying hard to find the words he needed to reassure the teen, "Harry, it's for your birthday. You only turn fifteen once in your life. If there is someplace you want to go, or something you want to see or do, we can do it. I know that you haven't had many birthdays in your short lifetime worth mentioning and I want to erase that from your mind. Your aunt abused you because she was afraid of your magic and angry that Lily died and she had to take you in. She made sure that Christmas and your birthdays were not celebrated by you or for you in any way." One large hand caught Harry's chin and he lightly feathered his thumb over the boy's cheek, "But you are my child now, and I will do everything in my considerable power to make sure you have not only everything you need, but also some of the things you want."

He released the boy and leaned back in his chair, "So, Harry, what would you _truly _like to do for your birthday?"

Harry studied his father for a long moment as the wheels in his mind began spinning. Sirius knew the moment something came to mind when the boy's eyes lit up and Harry smiled, "Well, there is something I've been wondering about…"

As he continued to talk about his idea, a smile bloomed on his father's face that quickly grew to a huge grin. This would be a great birthday!

The Merlin of Britain studied the man standing before his painting in surprise, "The child wants _what _for his birthing day celebration?"

"A trip, Taliesin. He wants to see the Tor and the lands around it."

The ancient wizard dropped into his throne-like chair, robes billowing gently around his legs as he settled himself more contentedly, "I assume the fault of this lies with me and my tales of Arthur?"

Sirius chuckled as he made himself comfortable on the sofa facing the canvas, "I'm sure that was part of it, however, he says that he has been curious about it since discovering his heritage. At first, he only wanted some ice cream and a meal out with the family and his friends. When I pressed him further and made it clear that he could go anywhere and do anything, he started talking about the Tor."

Ice blue eyes took on a far-seeing look as Merlin contemplated the man's words, "I have not been there in…well, I am not certain how long."

Leaning forward, Sirius spoke up, "Much of it has been turned into a place for pilgrims to visit and learn about the area, but there are still many portions of it that have been set with spells and barriers that only wizards can access. We could shrink your picture down again and bring it with us so that when we arrive, you can join us and talk to Harry about what he sees."

"Yes, I would take a great deal of pleasure in that. Is there any way to ensure that we will be the only ones on the grounds? I would much prefer having no crowds around."

"Let me see what I can do about that…"


	14. Chapter 14

PART 14

Author's note: some of you who have read the _Mists of Avalon_ by Marion Zimmer Bradley will see echoes of her ideas in parts of this chapter. I loved the book and how she made Avalon feel like such a part of the world of King Arthur yet also sort of lost in time and untouchable by human hands…

The morning of Harry's birthday dawned bright and clear and the now fifteen year old boy allowed himself a bit of a soak in the tub before the day really began in earnest. Once he was dressed and his hair as brushed as it was going to get, the teen stepped out of his bathroom and found the bedroom had been invaded.

His father, both honorary uncles, and his two best friends (Ron having joined them the day before) were perched on the bed or the floor waiting for him to come out. As soon as the door opened, they launched into a surprisingly on-key version of the birthday song before smothering him in hugs and good wishes.

Once he laughingly extracted himself, the group made their way downstairs for a hearty breakfast. Sirius had gotten in touch with the proper authorities and made all the necessary arrangements for the day; they would have the Tor grounds all to themselves.

After eating and cleaning up, Sirius shrunk the Merlin's painting down and placed it in an inner pocket of his robes for safe-keeping. The group gathered on the front lawn of the manor house and Severus extended a large bag for everyone to grab hold off to be whisked away by port-key to the lands upon which stood the Glastonbury Tor.

They arrived in an area only those of wizarding blood could enter, all three kids landing in a jumbled heap while the three men easily maintained their balance. There were security witches and wizards stationed by a huge wrought iron gate that, when closed, resembled an ancient oak tree. The group was greeted warmly by several of those working at the gates and they had to pass a brief screening process to make sure they were who they said and appeared to be.

"The area is completely secured and no one else is here, just as you requested, Lord Black," the oldest wizard guard informed them. "You will have the Tor and grounds completely to yourselves for the entire day and we will see to it that no one disturbs you unless there is some type of emergency."

"Thank you, Mr. Cobblelink; we appreciate everything you've done to make this happen for us."

The guard bowed politely to them and pointed his wand at the great gates. With a softly murmured spell, they swung open soundlessly and smoothly, allowing them entry before closing behind the six of them once they were all through. Harry looked around, a bit surprised to find them standing at the beginning of a path leading through a forest of ancient trees. Each tree was one held sacred by those who wielded magic: the healing Ash, the purifying Broom, the Elm that housed those of the Fair Folk, the powerful Hawthorne, the "King of Trees" Oak, the protective Rowan, and the enchanted Willow. The very presence of these magical trees enhanced the feeling of mystery and power surrounding them.

Sirius cast a silencing spell over their immediate area, pulled Merlin's painting out from his robe pocket and enlarged it, telling the others as he did so, "No one else needs to know that we are being given the grand tour of the grounds by Taliesin himself."

It took very little time for the ancient sorcerer to vacate the frame so it could be miniaturized again and they made their way along the path. Every now and then, Merlin would pause to touch the trunk of one of the great trees surrounding them. No one hurried him as they all understood that this was the first time he'd had the opportunity to visit the area since his death hundreds of years before.

As the group reached the end of the path and could see sunlight up ahead growing stronger, they found their way through blocked by an Oak enveloped by shimmering green leaves whose size and majesty put all of the other trees in the forest to shame. Taliesin approached the massive tree, placed his hands on the monstrous trunk, and leaned against the rough bark, placing his cheek against it. The Oak seemed to almost shiver at his touch, the leaves taking on a greater luster. Everyone else fell completely silent as it appeared the sorcerer was communing with the tree.

After several minutes, the old wizard straightened up and patted the tree fondly, "Thank you, old friend." He turned to the patiently waiting family and smiled at his grandson, "Harry, come here." The boy approached him and allowed the man to take his hand and place it reverently on the tree trunk.

If Merlin hadn't been holding on to his hand still, Harry might have jerked it back from the tree in shock. Never in all his life had he felt such a reaction to a tree or plant. The moment his hand made contact, he could actually feel life pulsing through the wood and leaves. A soft voice seemed to be whispering in his mind, greeting him, welcoming him, inviting him to be one with nature and the magic it carried. Responding to an instinct, Harry did as his grandfather had and leaned into the tree. The feeling of joy and love was indescribable.

After several minutes of listening to the whispers of the Oak, the teenager straightened back up, fingers lingering lightly on the bark. He turned his head with a brilliant smile to the others, "That was amazing."

Taliesin chuckled, "Indeed, child. The Oak was planted here by the very hands of Queen Titania herself when she was young. It has been imbued with the magics of both the Fair Folk and wizards for countless generations. Oaks are generally considered to be an emblem of masculine power and strength, but the enchanted Oaks are feminine in nature; filled with protection, intuition, and perception."

The potions master was nodding along with the mage and spoke up, "One can usually find oak wands being carried by individuals who are very active by nature as they impart a boost in strength to their chosen wielders. Many who carry an oak wand are drawn to nature in its many forms, both plant and animal."

"Very true, Severus," the old wizard responded. "All trees have magical properties to them and can be used to assist witches, wizards, druids, and other wielders."

The red-headed Ron leaned forward in interest and pointed at the Merlin's staff, "What wood is that, sir?"

Taliesin extended the carved staff so they could all get a good look at it, "It was fashioned from the Ash tree, which improves the mind. Intelligence, wisdom, balance to the mind, protection, and understanding are all gifts attributed to the Ash."

"As is curiosity," Remus murmured with a smile.

The ancient magician laughed delightedly, "Indeed, young wolf, indeed!"

As each of the small group went past the Oak, they reached out to touch the mighty trunk in reverent acknowledgement to its power and grace. They stepped out of the magical forest and found themselves standing very near a marshy shoreline that flowed into a Lake and was enveloped in a thick fog. Before them was a small dock that extended out into the Lake.

Hermione stared around in surprise, "Are we in the right place? When I went to the Tor with my parents several years ago, it looked nothing like this! You could see the hill from miles away and the land around it was very open."

"That's because where you and your family went was accessible to muggles, this area isn't," Sirius informed her. "Where we are, the forest we came through, can only be seen by those of our world; and where we are going, very few can see and even fewer can reach."

The five wizards and one witch watched as Merlin Taliesin Ambrosius closed his eyes for several moments, and then raised his hands, palms out, towards the low-lying mist. When he dropped his arms to his sides, they were silent for several minutes, and then could all hear the soft sounds of something rhythmically splashing in the water, coming towards them. Abruptly, the mists lifted and a boat, large enough to hold all of them, rowed by four smallish men with dark skin tattooed with symbols in blue drifted into view.

Standing at the prow of the boat was a woman wearing a simple dark gray robe; her knee-length hair was thick and pale gold in color. As the boat drew closer, she smiled when she saw who was waiting for her, bringing a light to her violet shaded eyes.

"My Lord Merlin, long has it been since you have graced the shores to Avalon with your presence," the beautiful woman's voice was soft, sweet, and musical to the ears of the little family. "When I heard your call, I was astounded as many generations have been born and died since last you came hence." The boat reached the dock and one of the men jumped out to offer his hand for her to disembark.

The group gathered bowed in respect to the woman as she stepped off the dock and approached them. Stopping before Taliesin, she dropped into a graceful curtsy to him and stretched out her hand, "Welcome home, Lord Merlin; I am Rhiannon, current High Priestess of Avalon and Lady of the Lake."

"Greetings, Lady; as you already know who I am, please permit me to present to you my companions." Taliesin gestured to each person as he introduced them, "Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, friends of my grandson and students with him at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Potions Master, Severus Snape; Defense Against Dark Magic Master, Remus Lupin; Transfiguration Master and Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, Sirius Black; and his son and Heir, Harry James Potter-Black. The Black Family is descended from my grandson, Galahad, so Sirius and Harry are my grandchildren, many, many times removed."

Rhiannon smiled at each person and nodded an acknowledgement to each introduction. As the ancient wizard wound down she softly asked, "If I may ask, My Lord, what brings you to the shores of Avalon this day? It is well known that you do not leave your canvas on a whim. Is there a danger approaching we must needs prepare for?"

"Nay, Lady, in this instance 'tis a good cause that brings us hence. This day is the celebration of young Harry's birthing day and he requested the opportunity to see the Tor. I thought it would do him good to visit Avalon as well so he knows from whence his family sprang."

The Lady approached Harry with a warm smile, "Felicitations, young Heir!" She reached out one soft hand to lightly cup the boy's chin as she looked down into his face, "What magnificent eyes you bear, child. The green of an emerald is rarely so clear as your gaze. How many years on Mother Earth do you celebrate this day?"

The teen was as struck by the beauty of Rhiannon's eyes as she was with his own and he had to force himself to focus on her words as he tumbled into her deep gaze, "I'm…uh…fifteen, My Lady. And thank you…for your felici…um felic…er…good wishes. And for my eyes. I mean, I inherited them from my mother, Lily Potter. She had green eyes, too."

The potions master rolled his own black eyes at Remus muttering, "The child has been more articulate on occasion. We will need to work with him on not being struck mute or transformed into a babbling buffoon when meeting a beautiful woman in the future."

Harry shot the man an irritated glare which he responded to with a trademark smirk as Rhiannon gently patted his cheek and stepped away. She returned to the dock and held her hand out in welcome, "If you will enter the boat, we will make the journey through the mists and bring you safely to the shores of Avalon. Lord Merlin, you will find little has changed on the sacred isle and you and your family are most welcome to visit for as long as you deem fit."

Rhiannon stepped into the boat with the assistance of the same man who had steadied her when she disembarked and moved to stand at the prow. As each person from the little group climbed aboard, they were directed to sit on benches that crossed through the middle and didn't interfere with the rowers. Once everyone was seated, the Lady gave a nod and the boat moved smoothly out onto the waters of the Lake. As they moved further out, Rhiannon turned to face away from her visitors and looked out upon the Lake she called home. Bowing her head for several moments in silence as she gathered power to her, she then raised her hands, palms outward, and when she lowered them the mists descended to surround them. The Lady then seated herself on a small bench at the prow.

No one spoke as the floated along through the mists, but soon they could see a glimmer of light in the distance that quickly grew brighter as the competent oarsmen steered them safely to another shore. Lining the dock they approached were several women of varying ages and a few much older men, all dressed in robes similar to that of the Lady only in shades of browns from pale tan to almost black. As the boat came to an easy halt, the chief oarsman leapt out and secured it fast before once again extending his hand to Rhiannon.

She stepped lightly onto the dock and the robed figures all lowered into deep bows of deference to her. The Lady of the Lake lifted her hand in silent benediction to her priests and priestesses before gesturing to the wizard exiting behind her, "Sisters and Brothers, I am most delighted to present to you one who has not graced the Isle in many ages, Merlin Taliesin Ambrosius, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Avalon and Chief of Bards and Druids. He and his family will be visiting with us this day as they celebrate the birthing day of his grandson. Make them feel welcome and offer your assistance whenever needed."

The followers of the Lady of Avalon graced the visitors with bows as well which were politely returned. Rhiannon smiled at her guests, "Little has changed since last you saw these shores, My Lord. Will you join us for the mid-day meal?"

"Indeed, Lady, we would be honored to dine with you."

She gave a gracious nod, "Then we will see you anon." With a mark of blessing to them, the Lady of the Lake departed for her private residence.


	15. Chapter 15

PART 15

Gazing around themselves in awe, the group found that they were indeed cut off from the outside world and on the sacred Isle of Avalon, surrounded by the mists that protected the secretive land from outside influences and danger. Behind them lay the Lake, while in front were several modest dwellings: one each for the priests and priestesses, another for the young initiates, a large circular structure that held the kitchens and dining hall, several buildings used for honing crafts, teaching, or storage, and a large home for the Lady.

Off to the left of where they stood was an elegant copse of trees, flowering plants, and herbs with a well-used path that disappeared into their midst, leading to the sacred well, several meditation areas, and another building well away from everything lit with perpetual mage lights. On the right was the Tor. A large hill sweeping ever higher with two trails leading to its pinnacle, one that went straight up to the top and the other that meandered along for those didn't want the challenge or who needed an easier route. Perched at the summit was a ring of stones similar to Stonehenge, though not quite so massive. Quite a different sight from what Hermione had visited with her family when all that was at the top was the remains of an ancient tower.

Taliesin began the walk to the Tor, "Come, my friends, we will ascend to the peak and you will see a vision only a few have ever known."

As they started up the winding path, the three teens began to wander more and more towards to straighter lane and, with a laugh, Merlin waved them on, "Off you go, younglings. Expend some of the vibrancy of youth with the other trail and we will convene with you at the apex."

Turning to their guardians for permission, the kids were thrilled when not only were they given nods of approval, Sirius transformed into Padfoot and barked challengingly at them. Merlin had already told them that the Ministry of Magic would not be able to trace anything of them on the Isle, so the three lost no time in changing into their animagus forms. Istar, deciding it was fairer to Padfoot and Carad, stayed on the ground with the two canines as they pounded up the slope, while Feather flew over them cawing in delight.

The three men left behind exchanged indulgent smiles as they continued their relaxed walk and Severus asked questions about the varied plant-life around them. The ancient sorcerer easily and thoroughly answered each one, always pleased to discuss herbology with the younger wizard. Remus was perfectly content to just listen to them as he inhaled deeply the sweet fresh scent of the island.

On the top of the Tor, the quartet of animals dodged in and out of the ring of stones as they enjoyed the beauty of the vista laid out before them. When the three men joined them and they returned to human form, the group stood together as Taliesin pointed out many of the landmarks that could only been seen from this particular place on the Isle. The kids were thrilled to have this opportunity and asked countless questions; even Ron, who had been raised in the magical world, pestered the old mage.

The ancient sorcerer allowed his mind to roam back almost two thousand years as he spoke of the days of the High King and Camelot, "Much of what is taught and written about Arthur is a gross exaggeration or simply not true. I had no hand in Uther and Igraine's tryst that resulted in his birth. Uther had first noticed the lady at his coronation as king and when she and her husband, Duke Gorlois, left early and without his leave, he decided it was a good opportunity to pursue her. The king gathered his army and marched on the duke's lands, claiming that Gorlois was trying to undermine him and was a traitor. When the duke marched out to meet him, he was accidently killed during a night skirmish. Uther had slipped away from his camp that evening and made his way to the castle under a heavy dark cloak that resembled the duke's and was mistaken for Gorlois. Igraine had begged her husband to leave the coronation early because of her attraction to the new king and when he showed up in her bower, she gave into him without a fight. When it was discovered the duke had been killed, Uther wasted no time in claiming the lady and Arthur was born eight months later."

"What about Morgan le Fay?" Hermione asked.

"I knew her as Morgaine, though her name has undergone several incarnations apparently. She was about five when Arthur was birthed and adored her little brother," Merlin replied. "Arthur lived with his family until he was six and then was fostered to a nobleman, as was common in those days. When Morgaine was eight, she began to show signs of having the Sight and Igraine sent word to her elder sister. Vivienne was Lady of the Lake at that time and came to court to see her niece. After speaking with the child and testing her, the Lady found Morgaine was very powerful magically and took her back to Avalon to raise her."

"But didn't Morgan, I mean Morgaine, seduce Arthur at one of the rituals? That's where Mordred came from, isn't it?" Ron inquired, blushing to match his red hair at the thought.

Chuckling softly, Taliesin shook his head, "Not at all. Morgaine was made out to be a villainess over the years for some reason when in reality she most certainly was not. Igraine's other sister, Morgause, the dark sorceress, had married King Lot of Orkney. Lot was killed by Arthur after he became High King during an uprising. Their youngest son was Mordred and Morgause poisoned his mind against the High King so he would eventually assassinate his cousin and steal the throne."

Harry suddenly piped up with, "What about Lancelot and Guinevere?"

"Another legend of man's making, lad. Lancelot was Vivienne's son, born and raised here on the Holy Isle with Morgaine. He joined Arthur's court and was knighted by his kinsman in his late teens. My grandson was meant to be a druid and Merlin eventually to follow me; somehow he was converted to follow the teachings of the Christian's God and abandoned his obligations to Avalon. As such, he would never have committed adultery with the High Queen; then, too, Guinevere was completely devoted to Arthur and he to her. Lancelot wed with the Queen's cousin, Elaine, and had several children. When he shunted aside his magical heritage, Lancelot's magic began to become corrupt and within just a few generations, his descendants became dark wizards."

They made their way back down after a couple of hours of listening to Merlin talk about the standing stones, the ceremonies held there, and how the stunningly marked marble stones were brought to the Isle. They joined the Lady and her followers for a delightful lunch of fresh grilled fish, a variety of vegetables, and loaves of homemade bread, still warm from the ovens, with butter and a sharp cheese. The adults drank water from the well located outside the kitchens, crisp, clear, and cool, while the teenagers were served apple juice that had been pressed that morning from Avalon's own orchards.

As her disciples drifted away from the table and back to their own pursuits, Rhiannon softly inquired, "Have you plans for the mid-day hours, Lord Merlin?"

Taliesin nodded thoughtfully, "We will pay our respects at the sepulcher before we must return to the other realm. An hour, mayhap two at most, Lady, if that is acceptable to you?"

"Of course," she responded as she gracefully rose to her feet. "I fear that I have other duties that must be attended to, so I must bid you all farewell now and will assign one of the senior priestesses to conduct you through the mists."

Each of the men bowed deeply to her and thanked her for allowing the visit to the Holy Isle. Rhiannon nodded to them with a gentle smile and waved their gratitude away, replying that it was an honor to be the current Lady of the Lake at such as auspicious time. She laid one hand lightly on Ron's head in benediction and stroked Hermione's thick hair as she murmured a blessing to another sister-in-magic.

When she turned to Harry, the priestess tenderly placed her hands on the teen's head and smoothly began to trace ancient symbols over his forehead and down his face as she spoke, "As the Air you breathe brings you life, may you always speak the truth. As the Fire of anger burns within you, may you always find a spark of love to temper it. As the Waters of life flow through your body, may you learn to move with the tides and not against them. As the Earth grounds and steadies you, may you always remain strong for others as well as yourself. May the blessings of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth shower you with life, love, knowledge, and strength on this special day and for all time to come. Blessed be."

Harry could feel the tingle of magic flowing from her fingertips until she reached the end of her benediction and dropped her hands to her side. Lifting his emerald eyes to meet her violet gaze he smiled before bowing deeply to her, "Thank you, My Lady, for your kindness and your blessing. I will cherish my memories of you and Avalon."

"You and your family are welcome at any time in the future to visit us again, child of magic."

He gave her a confused look, "Child of magic?" Then he thought he understood what she was saying, "Oh, you mean because I'm a wizard!"

Rhiannon shook her head, causing her long pale gold hair to ripple and shimmer around her slender form, "No, not because you are a wizard. You have several very powerful bloodlines that run through you, young Heir, including the Blood of Avalon and the Fair Folk. You are a descendent of Merlin and Queen Titania. You are an animagus of rare form and ability. The joining of their Blood in you, along with that, has truly created you a child of pure magic."

Seeing that her friend was overwhelmed, Hermione decided it was time to lighten his mood a bit. Sidling up alongside him, she nudged him with an affectionate elbow and teased, "See, Harry; I always said you were something else."

Ron rolled his eyes and muttered, "Yeah, but that 'something else' was usually a dunderhead according to you."

The girl whirled on him, eyes flashing, "BOTH of you were dunderheads on more than one occasion! Or need I remind you of nearly being eaten by a three-headed dog named Fluffy, fighting with a mountain troll, chasing after the Sorcerer's Stone, Hagrid's illegal pet dragon Norbert we smuggled out of the castle, and Harry nearly getting killed by a professor with Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head in first year? The flying car, Harry getting his arm broken in Quidditch, my getting petrified, and fighting a basilisk released on the school by Voldemort in second? Dementors, a werewolf, and an insane prisoner on the loose trying to kill you in third? And let's not forget fourth year's…"

"Hermione!" Both boys yelled, trying desperately to override her rant before she got them so deep into trouble with the men standing nearby they would never see the light of day again.

Her jaw snapped shut with an audible click as Hermione realized just what she had been saying and in front of whom. Harry slowly shook his head from side to side before turning to the Lady of the Lake and whispering, "Do you happen to know any good Obliviate spells?"

Rhiannon's delighted laugh dissipated the silence and brought smiles and chuckles from the four men watching the teens who were squirming in mortification. Once she had her amusement under control, the priestess commented, "We shall surely miss having such lively youngsters around the Holy Isle. You most certainly should return in the very near future to us!" With a final gesture of blessing, the Lady of the Lake departed.

The kids huddled together, waiting for the bomb to drop and were surprised when Sirius just shook his head at them as he rolled his eyes and gestured for Merlin to lead them on to the next stop. Holding back a chuckle, the ancient mage stepped out of the dining hall and into the sunshine.


	16. Chapter 16

PART 16

They made their way through the copse of trees and flowers, following the path past the sacred well. Some of the druids and priestesses were using the meditation areas so they were quiet in order to not disturb anyone. At the end of the trail lay a very large building made of black marble shot through with slivers of silver and gold. Two small steps led to a heavy oaken door that was flanked on both sides by large pots of mage lights that needed re-spelled only once a year at Samhain.

Taliesin placed one hand on the door and it swung open on silent hinges to reveal a rounded room. Dominating the space on a raised platform was a sarcophagus of pure white marble with a relief of King Arthur Pendragon. He lay, wearing his robes of state, with a simple crown on his head, and Excalibur clutched in his hands. As they stepped inside, more mage lights reacted to their presence by springing to life on the walls all around the room. Paintings depicting the exploits of the High King were brought to life by the flickering illumination as the group slowly spread out to encircle the tomb.

Using his staff, Merlin gently tapped a plaque placed between the door and the coffin, "'Here lay Arthur Pendragon, High King of Britain, son of Uther and Igraine. In Britain's darkest hour, may he rise again.'" He sighed softly, "Such a little piece of a truly wondrous life."

The teens walked slowly through the gallery of pictures, studying each one intently and murmuring softly to each other over what they were seeing while the adults watched them, waiting for the questions that soon would come.

Sure enough, as they reached the final painting, showing Arthur on the barge of Avalon disappearing into the mists, Harry turned to the master mage, "Will you tell us more about Arthur and Camelot, Grandfather?"

The man smiled indulgently at the teen, "Of course, my lad. Arthur was a great visionary, especially for his time, and he wanted to see a world where the strong protected and defended the weak; where justice was denied to no one regardless of their station in life. He created the best trained army the world, to that point, had ever known. To be chosen to sit at the Round Table was the pinnacle of success for a knight; for those select few were Arthur's personal companions and guards. Few people today know that there was a second Round Table created, this one was for the many kings who answered to Arthur. They met once each year in Camelot to dispense justice for the good of the kingdom and to create laws to benefit all."

"Really?" Hermione was startled to learn this. She had never even heard of something like this hinted at in all her readings on the Arthurian legend.

"Aye," Merlin replied. "And it was a success. At first, the minor kings tried to battle for supremacy within the gathering, but Arthur refused to allow them to supersede his vision."

Ron pointed at the depiction of the barge with Arthur departing for Avalon, "What really happened at the end?"

The old wizard approached the marble relief of his grandson and placed one hand lightly on the cold stone forehead, "Morgause was successful in turning her son Mordred against the King, though he was crafty at hiding his true endeavor. He pretended to follow in the footsteps of his older brothers and came to serve Arthur. He was placed at first as a page in the Queen's household until he was old enough to be assigned as a squire to his eldest brother, Gawain. From thence, he earned his spurs and was knighted. It was on the field of battle that his treachery came to the fore and he attempted to murder the High King."

"I thought that Excalibur protected Arthur," Harry commented.

"Nay, Excalibur was created with the ability to cut through anything: wood, stone, metal; any and all it came into contact with. Its scabbard, however, was impregnated with all the magics Avalon had to command in order to protect it bearer from excessive blood loss should they be wounded. Arthur had taken a blow to the head and was dazed when Mordred came upon him. The villain seized Excalibur and used it upon the High King, stabbing him from behind and through the heart before throwing the sword down. He removed the scabbard afterwards and threw it into the Lake."

Merlin left the sarcophagus and moved to stand before the picture, pointing to the boat that bore the High King and three women, "I came upon the stricken man soon after, slew the traitor, and called to Avalon. Since Mordred removed the scabbard _after _stabbing his King, its magic protected Arthur as best it could and prevented a mortal wound from stealing away his life. Arthur had sent Guinevere to Avalon for safekeeping before the battle and she came on the barge with Morgaine and Nimue, the priestess she was training as her successor. They brought him to Avalon for healing, though at his age and all the skirmishes he had fought in during his life, he was never the same. He and Guinevere stayed on Avalon for the rest of their days, for the world believed him dead. Camelot was torn apart by civil war as all those kings Arthur had brought together in harmony turned on one another trying to claim the throne of the High King."

Harry was shaking his head as he turned to back to the marble sculpture of his far distant ancestor, "How terrible to have brought the country to unity only to have it destroy itself."

"Indeed, child, indeed. Though he did not live too many years after the attack that nearly killed him, Arthur was very disillusioned by the world and spent much of his time staring into the sacred well. He had a small gift of the Sight and could sometimes see what was going on beyond the Lake." Taliesin patted the thin shoulder of his grandson, "He would have been proud to claim you as a kinsman, Harry. You share many of the same traits Arthur himself had."

The teen chuckled, "I would have loved to sit and talk to him; get to know the real man rather than the stories that have been embellished and changed so much over the years." He pointed to three hallways that lay behind the King's sarcophagus, "Where do those go?"

"The one on the left leads to the room where each Lady of the Lake is interred. There is a long tradition that each High Priestess, when she dies, lies in state for three days while her funeral pyre is built at the pinnacle of the Tor. After the three days, she is carried by her maidens, wrapped in her ceremonial robes, and laid upon the pyre. A coal taken from one of the eternal flames is placed within and all who live on the Isle join together in singing her to the other side of the veil. When the embers have cooled, the priestess who is to be the next Lady gathers the ashes together in a metal jar that is sealed and emblazoned with the deceased's name and years she reigned." Merlin gestured to the corridor, "There are hundreds of High Priestesses resting eternally in that chamber including my daughter Vivienne and her successor, my granddaughter, Morgaine. No one is allowed entry to that room save the current Lady of the Lake and the one chosen to follow her."

After a moment of silence in reverence for those great Ladies who had gone before, he pointed to the hallway on the right, "That way leads to the antechamber of Queen Guinevere. After Arthur's death, she spent most of her time here sitting on the floor at his feet mourning him so deeply that she eventually wasted away and followed him to the grave. Morgaine tried hard to keep her alive, but finally understood that the Queen simply couldn't go on without him by her side. She had the chamber added and saw to it that Guinevere was laid to rest near her beloved husband."

"May we see it?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Certainly," the old mage agreed and led the way down the short hall to a small room set up much the same as Arthur's.

Paintings on the walls showed a lovely child who grew into a beautiful woman of grace and gentleness. The final one, Merlin told them, had been painted by Morgaine's own hands showing the Queen leaning against her spouse's tomb. Even in her deep grief, Guinevere had been strikingly beautiful, and was shown wearing a gown of deep sapphire blue while her extraordinarily long, pale gold hair fell around her frail form like a waterfall. Her sarcophagus was also covered with a white marble relief that depicted her in royal robes with an ornate crown.

After spending a few minutes studying the pictures and asking a few more questions, Taliesin led the group back to Arthur's room, and then down the middle corridor. The room at the end was much bigger than the Queen's had been but, like the other two, held more images on the walls and was dominated by a large black tomb. The huge rectangle was carved along the bottom and inlayed with gold and silver; the words written in a language long lost to the world at large.

For the first time, Sirius, Remus, and Severus exchanged glances and spoke up at the same time, "Merlin?"

With a twinkle in his icy blue eyes, the ancient sorcerer turned to smirk at them, "You called?"

Severus narrowed his obsidian gaze and pointed at the slab, "Yours?"

"Of course."

The teens grinned as they walked along the walls and looked over the canvases. One of the main differences between these and the ones in the royal chambers was the fact that there were many more. All of them showed the white-haired, blue-eyed wizard with his staff and accompanied by at least one familiar. He never seemed to grow any older, and none of them showed him as a youth. Merlin could be seen in many moods however, including one of him gently soothing a fretful child to sleep ("Morgaine," he murmured when asked), standing proudly behind Arthur as he lowered a crown to the young man's brow, and encircled and illuminated by lightening while a human form standing before him was being consumed by fire ("Mordred").

Remus was the one who gestured to the tomb and inquired, "What do the inscriptions say?"

"'Merlin Taliesin Ambrosius, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Avalon, Bard, Druid, Wizard. May he ever stand as Guardian of Britain.'" The mage smirked as he lightly patted his own grave, "And I have, too."

Harry shook his head, awed as always by what magic could do. It was hard to believe that a man, a wizard, who had lived nearly two thousand years ago, could utilize the arcane the way Merlin had. To have the ability to enchant a painted canvas and jeweled frame with the power and foresight to be able to leave it if needed was truly wondrous. The youngster was proud that he could claim to be a descendent of the House of Avalon and its greatest Lord. He was also thrilled to have had the opportunity to not only visit the Holy Isle, but to have the Merlin as his own personal tour guide who could offer insights and stories no one had every dreamed of.

Knowing that the man who stood with them was actually long buried deep within the marble slab before him, Harry couldn't resist reaching out to lay his hands on the cool stone as he whispered, "Thank you, Grandfather; for everything."

A brilliant light erupted around him, enveloping both Harry and the tomb in its radiance. Sirius instantly lunged for his son, only to be stopped by an arm across his chest from Taliesin who ordered him to stop.

When the light faded, the boy blinked several times to clear his vision before looking over at his family and friends, "Wow."

Released, Sirius hurried to his side, placing his hands on the teen's shoulders as he studied the green eyes closely, "Harry? Are you alright? What happened?"

Harry patted his father's arms as he nodded, "Yeah, dad, I'm okay. I just touched the stone and suddenly everything went white for a moment. I heard a voice, it sounded just like Taliesin, greeting me and calling me 'Child of Magic', just like the Lady did; and then acknowledging me as 'blood of mine own blood'." He looked over at Merlin, "Was it you?"

"Aye, Child of Magic, the voice you heard was mine. Though I didn't believe it was possible at the time of my death, I had hoped that perhaps some day a descendent of one of my children would make their way to Avalon. In order for them to have come here, they would have had to be strong in the arcane, as you have proven to be." The ancient one gestured to Sirius, "Place your hands upon the marble."

Hesitating only a moment, the canine animagus did so and once again the brilliant light flashed through the room. When it cleared, Sirius shook his head to dissipate the spots dancing in his vision, "Amazing."

Taliesin laughed, "You should have expected it; after all, you are also of my blood, so of course the stone would react in the same way it did Harry."

The other man shrugged, "Just because I expect it doesn't make it any less surprising." He winked at his son as he drew up self-importantly, "Besides, _**I **_am the current Lord for the House of Black and the stone should have responded to me in a more dramatic manner."

The entire group collectively rolled their eyes at him and turned to leave, making their way down the short hallway to Arthur's chamber. Each paused to briefly pay their respects to the final resting place of the ancient King before returning to the warmth of the sun. They were a quiet bunch as they walked back to the dock and waiting boat.

A priestess rose to greet them with a bow as they approached, "Lord Merlin, I am Syndil, the Lady's chosen successor. She has asked me to return you and your companions to the outside world."

"Thank you, Syndil, and please convey our appreciation to the Lady for allowing us to visit the Holy Isle," Taliesin replied.

She made a sweeping gesture for them to enter the boat and the chief oarsman stepped forward to offer his hand and assisted each one to their seat. As with the Lady, the young woman stepped to the prow and nodded for the rowers to take them out onto the Lake. For several minutes, they waited until the boat was far enough onto the Lake, then Syndil drew her power around her and lifted her arms in a dramatic motion, opening the veil of the mists from around them. Ahead, they could see the dock they had left that morning to begin their magical journey into the past.

The boat tacked around easily and the group was assisted in disembarking. The future Lady of the Lake raised her hand in blessing to them as the boat slowly swept away in its return journey to Avalon.

"That whole trip was bloody brilliant!" Ron announced. For once, he wasn't fussed at by the adults or Hermione for his language, since they all happened to agree with him whole-heartedly.

The walk back through the forest was filled with laughter and questions as they talked about their visit to the Holy Isle and relived some of the finer points. As they drew closer to the gates, Sirius pulled Merlin's frame from his robe pocket and enlarged it so the mage could return to his canvas. Once that was accomplished, the picture was shrunk back down and hidden away before they left the ancient woods.


	17. Chapter 17

PART 17 – My deepest apologies should this chapter make people hungry…

The teens bolted up the stairs to Harry's room once they returned to the manor and threw themselves across the huge bed to talk. Despite the stimulation of being outside and exercising much of the day, their happy chatter gradually faded to stillness as they drifted off to sleep.

Severus came up to check on them, the adults having grown nervous given the lack of noise from above, and found them all sprawled out napping on Harry's bed. With a gentleness Harry had gotten accustomed to but would have still startled the other kids, the potions master placed pillows under each of the rumpled heads and flipped light sheets over them.

Returning to the library, he found his fellow teachers relaxing in one of the sitting areas talking over mugs of tea. As he settled down into a chair, a mug was filled and floated over to him. He accepted it with a murmur of thanks and took a healthy swallow.

"So, what mischief are the children up to?" Remus asked.

The other man snorted a soft laugh into his drink, "None; unless it's in their dreams, which with those three I would easily believe. When I went up there, the Golden Trio was oblivious to the world. Apparently, the day tired them out and they are currently recharging their batteries for later."

"Just like puppies or kittens, Sev," Sirius snickered. "Run them ragged for a few hours, they collapse and sleep for a bit, and then wake up not only raring to go, but starving to death. We have several hours before we need to leave to make it to our reservation at the restaurant; I propose we not only let them nap, but catch a little shut-eye ourselves since we have a late night ahead of us."

The other two men agreed with that and made plans to be up in two hours to get themselves ready and to wake the children so they also had time to shower and change clothes.

Two hours later, Remus was the one chosen to wake the teens from their nap and he did so with surprising ease. Apparently, especially in Ron's case, their stomachs had already started to awaken before the kids did and, as predicted, they were starving and quickly ready to get going again.

The group met back up in the library and used the floo network to reach a small wizarding pub on the outskirts of London. Fortunately, no one took notice of them so they were able to slip out and make their way to one of the most exclusive luxury restaurants in the city. Using a disillusionment charm to hide their robes from Muggles, no one paid them much attention.

Sirius had done his homework and found that The Garden Palace was famed for its exquisite decorating and incomparable menu as well as being a place that catered to wizards in small groups or couples who wanted more privacy than the average diner. Sirius had reserved one of the most expensive small dining rooms so they would be undisturbed.

The setting could not have been more beautiful. They walked up to the front of the building and made their way through a small garden of roses, irises, and other beautiful sweetly scented flowers to the doorway. To one side of the front door was a small waterfall that cascaded down into a little pond of gorgeous koi fish that swam among dainty water lilies. When the group entered the foyer, there was a wonderful display of more flowers that surrounded another pool of water fed by a tiny trickling fountain set above it. Tastefully decorated fish tanks and other small ponds were everywhere filled with the most beautiful fish possible while soft music drifted from hidden speakers.

A tuxedoed man met them in the reception area with a bow and welcomed them to The Garden Palace. When Sirius informed him of their reservation, he asked them to follow him and led the small party to one of the many small private dining rooms they were known for. A table for six sat like a glittering jewel amid three walls made of hand-painted screens with a gigantic fish tank taking up most of the fourth. As the maître d' held her chair for her, Hermione couldn't help but admire the table setting along with everything else. Their table was covered with a crisp white linen cloth, gorgeous crystal goblets for drinks, fine silver lined up precisely with a fan-shaped linen napkin, and a delicate vase in the middle that held a bouquet of unusual roses that changed colors every few minutes and white baby's breath.

Once everyone was seated, they were handed leather-bound menus as their server used his wand unobtrusively to fill their water goblets. When the door to their room opened to admit another man in black tie and tails, their greeter slipped out to return to his post by the front door.

"Good evening, My Lords and Lady; I am Apollo Dalcoeur and it will be my honor to serve you. May I inquire as to whom I will be caring for this fine evening?" The man's gentle brown eyes took in each person around the table as they introduced themselves and made mental notes.

"Lord Sirius Black," was someone he recognized from a couple of years back when he escaped from Azkaban. Having been free and settled for a while now, the Lord made a handsome figure in his black robes trimmed in scarlet.

"Severus Snape," easily distinguished from the dark-haired Sirius by the large hooked nose and much paler complexion made all the more so by wearing solid black.

"Remus Lupin," very thin with some scars on his face; his dark brown robe flattered his sandy hair and light eyes.

"Hermione Granger," Apollo acknowledged the only female in the group with a slight bow. Her burgundy shaded robe was very pretty on the girl and she had tamed her hair into an elegant French twist for the occasion.

"Ronald Weasley," with that flaming red hair, he could only be a member of the old Wizarding family. Having gone to school with the boy's father, he easily recognized the child as a blood relative of Arthur's even in his new robes of dark blue with gold piping.

"Harry Potter," it had taken all of Apollo's discipline to not react when he had recognized the young hero. Upon entering the dining room, he had spotted the scar instantly and knew exactly who the teen was. Dressed in his formal emerald green robes, the boy's eyes shone like gemstones and one could see he was just waiting for a response of some sort to his name. Obviously a child who had dealt with people fawning over him for far too long and didn't like it.

Apollo smiled benignly around at each of his guests, making very sure not too linger on Harry as he didn't want to make the teenager uncomfortable, "I am delighted to meet all of you and welcome to The Garden Palace. I am here to serve you exclusively, so please do not hesitate to call upon me for anything you desire. May I bring everyone something drink as you peruse the menu?"

Once he had everyone's orders, Apollo left to give them all time to look at the menu, talk, and decide what they wanted. When he returned with their drinks, the door opened on its own to admit him and the man found the small group laughing softly as Harry was being given an etiquette lesson by Hermione on silverware usage. The girl, sitting directly across from Harry, was explaining what each individual utensil was supposed to be used on and why, while her victim simply gazed at her with a slight smile on his face for her enjoyment of the moment.

"So, Harry, now do you understand what you're supposed to use them for?" The young woman inquired.

"Not in the slightest, Hermione, but thank you for trying to illuminate me and broaden my horizons."

"Oh, you!" Dipping her finger in her water glass, the witch flicked it in his direction, succeeding in putting a couple of spots on his glasses. Sitting next to her, Ron laughed until she turned her glittering eyes on him and threatened to dump the entire goblet on him.

Remus rescued the water, and Ron, placing the chalice back on the table while Sirius murmured a drying charm on his son's glasses and Severus rolled his eyes at their waiter.

Smiling at them, well pleased that they seemed to be enjoying themselves already, Apollo approached, "Is it safe for me to give everyone their drinks?"

Sirius looked up with a chuckle, "I think so. Hermione can be such a handful, but she's usually better behaved in public places."

"Sirius!" The girl yelped. "I am NOT the one usually in trouble, that would be Ronald and Harry. I am usually the one following behind them asking 'shouldn't we be thinking this through?'"

"Yes," Harry choked as he tried to restrain his mirth, "because thinking things through is certainly our strong suit, isn't it, Ron?"

The red-head's face nearly matched his hair as he laughed at the look on their friend's face. Even Severus had to chortle at Harry's comment and Hermione's evil glare.

Apollo moved around the table, placing drinks in front of each person, "Blackberry wine for Lord Black, Dragon's Blood Cordial for Mr. Potter, Icevine Currant for Mr. Snape, Moonrise Spritzer for Mr. Weasley, Sparkling Searast for Ms. Granger, and Golden Bligh for Mr. Lupin."

Once everyone had their drink, Sirius lifted his with a loving smile for his son, "Happy fifteenth birthday, Harry. May your days be filled with joy and laughter and your nights with good dreams of the future."

"Happy birthday, Harry," everyone echoed as they saluted him. The teen blushed as he whispered his thanks and Apollo made a mental note for a special treat at the end of the meal for the little family.

Once everyone had replaced their glasses, the attendant took his place at one end of the table, "Have you had an opportunity to examine our menu or do you require a few more minutes?" He glanced around the table and smiled when everyone indicated they were ready, "Excellent. Ms. Granger, let's begin with you."

"I would like to have the herb grilled chicken breast with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli."

"An excellent choice, I do believe that you will enjoy it immensely. Mr. Potter?"

Harry glanced at the menu again, torn between two items, but finally settled on, "The pan-seared scallops, pancetta, and corn puree."

"The scallops will melt in your mouth," Apollo assured him. "Lord Black?"

"I'll have the oven roasted sea bass with the saffron orzo."

"I can guarantee the freshness of the sea bass as they take it out of one of the fish tanks. Mr. Weasley?"

"I've always wanted to have prime rib," the red-head said softly.

Sirius caught Apollo's eye and nodded. The maître d' smiled down at the teen, "Would you like it with a loaded baked potatoes and au jus?" Ron looked up with an eager nod, "Then you shall have it. Mr. Lupin?"

"The butter roasted swordfish with the sautéed spinach and fennel with saffron-seafood broth."

"Freshly caught this morning, and the saffron-seafood broth is a wonderful contrast to the fish. Mr. Snape?"

"I think the Linguini Del Mar and sautéed mushrooms will go well together."

"Oh, indeed they do." Apollo gazed around at his guests, "Is there anything else, perhaps some appetizers while your meals are being prepared?"

Sirius looked over the menu, "Certainly; I think we could do with a bunch to taste. How about the cremini mushroom quesadillas, crispy quail, crispy squash blossoms, sautéed conch, Bahamian spiced chicken skewers, shrimp and grouper ceviche, lobster and crab cakes, and the surf and turf skewers."

Chuckling over the looks the young Lord was getting from the teens at the table, Apollo nodded, "I will have those out to you shortly." With a slight bow, he left for the kitchens.

Still goggling in shock, Ron asked, "Do you really think we need all that, plus dinner?"

"And dessert," Sirius remarked. "This is an evening to relax, try new things, and celebrate, kids; enjoy it!"

"Did you notice," Hermione piped up, "he never actually wrote down any of the order. How on earth would he be able to keep everything straight?"

"Eidetic memory, I would guess," the werewolf mused. When Ron and Harry just looked at him with blank expressions, he grinned, "That means he has a photographic memory, perfect recall. He only needs to see or hear something once and he is able to retain that for whenever he needs it. I would wager he baffles quite a few people with that particular trick."

The group did indeed relax as they glanced around the room and talked about the hand-painted screens and pointed out certain fish in the huge tank that caught their attention. When the door to their room opened again, they fell silent as everyone took a deep breath of the tantalizing aromas emanating from the many dishes floating in. The food dishes were placed down the center of the table while smaller, empty plates separated and dropped lightly before each person. After inquiring if there was anything needed at that moment, Apollo faded into a dark corner in case he was looked for.

The food was passed around so that everyone had the chance to sample a bit of everything being offered and comments were offered on the various dishes. Other than the sautéed conch, the general agreement was that everything was delicious. The teens especially liked the quail, while the adults enjoyed the ceviche. All of them tried a piece of the conch, but it was definitely a flavor one had to adjust to, and with so many other things to sample, it was nudged to the side where Apollo simply whisked it away. The conversation drifted around several subjects, including other favorites or food they would each like to try. Through it all, their attendant listened and made plans.

As they finished up the appetizers, their host quietly topped off drinks and vanished the empty plates to the kitchen before disappearing himself to retrieve the main courses for everyone. As Apollo reentered the dining room, floating the overflowing, sizzling platters before him, everyone shifted back in the seats slightly to make sure he had plenty of room to settle all the food in place. He also provided smaller plates to each person so they could share a bite of each entrée with the others. After once again checking for further need, Apollo took his place in the shadows.

Sirius picked up the small plate next to his glass, "I think if everyone puts a small bite on their plate and then pass it to the right, we can keep doing that until each person has a taste of what was ordered." He did so, and then handed his plate to Harry, which went to Severus, and across the table to Ron, then Hermione, and finally Remus. The samples were tasted and remarked on, some more eagerly than others.

Hermione loved the Linguini while Remus tried distracting the dark-haired man across from him to steal more of the sea bass. Severus was impressed with the herbs used on the chicken breast and Ron loved the scallops. Harry ate his bite of swordfish and snitched his father's bite too while Sirius was fending the werewolf off his plate. The Transfiguration teacher made a face at his son before allowing Remus to steal another bite of his sea bass so he could nab a small cut off the wolf's plate.

Sirius silently noted that his son seemed to really enjoy seafood and planned to talk to the other two men later so they could make sure there was plenty in the house for the rest of vacation. As he lifted another piece of his bass, he remarked, "Remember to save room for dessert; I've heard marvelous things about the sweets offered here." Silent nods were the only response he got as the rest of the group was busily stuffing themselves.

As usual, Ron was the first one finished and Apollo, without leaving his corner, flicked his wand to remove it. Accustomed as the boy was to magic his entire life, he never actually noticed, though Harry gave a slight start of surprise. The three men finished at almost the same time, with the remaining two teens not far behind them. This time, their host stepped out of the shadows so he was more visible and vanished the plates. The dark-haired boy nodded at him in appreciation and he gave a slight bow in return.

"Would you like to see the dessert menu?" When each nodded, he passed them around and commented softly, "Mr. Potter, if you will allow, I'd like to recommend one of our specialty desserts for you, in honor of your birthday."

Sirius hid a smile as his son made yet another conquest simply by being there, and when Harry glanced at him for permission, he nodded silently.

"That would be wonderful, sir, thank you."

"Excellent," Apollo beamed, "I assure you that you will not be disappointed." He gave his attention to the rest of the table for their requests and returned quickly with them on a tray, placing each one and repeating the order, "Lord Black, your Mexican vanilla cheesecake with warm chocolate cinnamon sauce. Mr. Snape, the mango buttermilk upside down cake with rum caramel sauce and mango ice cream. Mr. Weasley, you have the crushed blueberry-lime tart with vanilla and blueberry-marshmallow swirl ice cream. For Ms. Granger, the apple crumb crostada with allspice-nutmeg ice cream and caramel sauce. Mr. Lupin, our red velvet brownie sundae with cream cheese ice cream." With a wave of his wand another tray entered the room, "And for you, Mr. Potter, in honor of your birthday, a baked Alaska with caramel ice cream, crystallized pecans, and warm dark chocolate sauce." He set it before Harry with a flourish and smiled at the look of wonder on the teen's face, "And a second one for the rest of the table so everyone can have a chance to taste it."

"Merlin's wand, Harry," Ron breathed, "look at the size of that thing!"

The young wizard didn't even know where to begin with the huge dessert and poked at it with his spoon experimentally several times before just diving in and taking a huge bite. The group laughed as he raised his head and was sporting a meringue beard, and Sirius reached over to wipe the mess off his face. With a grin, Harry just kept attacking the pile before him until it was gone and he leaned back in his chair with a groan as he patted his distended stomach.

"Oh, but that was good!" He turned to look at Apollo, "That was a great dessert; thanks for selecting it for me."

"You are quite welcome Mr. Potter. Happy birthday from all the staff here at The Garden Palace, and a wish for many, many more."

"Thank you," came the boy's heartfelt response for the kindness their host had shown.

Apollo removed the dishes as everyone finished and provided damp hand towels to wash any residual stickiness from faces and hands. Remus rose to find the bathroom and was guided there by another of the staff members with all three teens in tow.

Their attendant unobtrusively handed Sirius a small leather binder which held the check for the evening's meals. The man signed the parchment inside that would allow them to charge his account at Gringott's for the amount before reaching into his robe pocket to pull out a small pouch. From it, he removed a stack of galleons and handed them over, "For you, with my thanks for making the evening very pleasant and for not making a big fuss over who he is."

"You are very generous, Lord Black, I was only doing my job, which is to make each guest feel as if they are the only ones here. If I accomplished that, then I have succeeded and am satisfied."

"I am curious, Mr. Dalcoeur," Severus spoke up, "how long have you been with this establishment and do you have an eidetic memory?"

Apollo chuckled, "I have been blessed with perfect recall; it comes in handy with what I do. As for how long I've been here, well I guess you could say that I've been here from the start. My wife and I own The Garden Palace and we opened it about seventeen years ago. We wanted to create a place that offered privacy for our guests, but wasn't outrageously expensive. I gave my wife free rein with the decorations and she came up with the idea of putting in the fish tanks and all the flowers." He gestured to their personal dining room, "Each room is decorated in a different paint scheme and the fish compliment it with their own coloring. The screens on the walls are created by my wife and eldest daughter."

The men admired the dark blue silks that were delicately painted with several lovely young geishas who strolled under Japanese weeping cherry trees in full bloom. It was then that Sirius realized the fish in their room had been picked for their soft colors of pinks, mauves, and burgundies to accent the room.

"Is there a particular way you choose what room people are placed in?" Severus asked out of curiosity.

"Indeed," their host replied, "Whoever is attending the door assigns the rooms according to the color of the robe worn by the lady in the group. In your case, Ms. Granger was dressed in burgundy, hence your placement in here."

"And if you have more than one lady in the group or if the room is unavailable?" Sirius inquired.

"For numerous ladies, we try to find a room that doesn't clash with anything they may be wearing. If all else fails, we have spaces that are black and white; which also means that there is always a room available as we have several of those."

As the other four members of their party returned, Sirius extended his hand, "Thank you again, Mr. Dalcoeur, for a wonderful evening. We will be returning to your establishment in the near future."

"It was my pleasure, Lord Black. We look forward to serving you and your family again soon." Apollo shook hands with each of the males and bowed over Hermione's hand gallantly before leading them to the front door and seeing them out.


	18. Chapter 18

PART 18 – Big time liberties with a certain musical that got its start in London and is still playing there almost 25 years later.

As they strolled slowly through the garden in front of the restaurant, the group chatted happily about the meal and the ambience of the place as Severus repeated the disillusionment charm to hide their robes. When the reached the walkway, the kids automatically turned to go back the same direction they had originally come and were stopped by a soft drawl from Severus.

"I believe you are going the wrong way."

The Golden Trio paused to look around in confusion before Hermione responded, "We are? I could have sworn that this was the correct route back to the pub we flooed into."

"It is," Remus assured her, "but we're not going back right now. Harry's birthday celebration isn't over quite yet. Everyone needs to be aware that we are going someplace that has both muggles and wizards present."

Following the adults as they made their way through the city, the teens murmured back and forth as to what further delights awaited them. They didn't have long to wait and wonder as they turned a corner and Her Majesty's Theatre rose before them from the pavement in all her splendor.

"_Phantom of the Opera_," Hermione breathed. "I've always wanted to see that musical."

"Then you'll be happy to know that's our destination," Sirius told her with a smirk.

"_Phantom_?" Harry asked in wonder, "You got us all tickets to see _Phantom_?"

"Not just any tickets," Severus chuckled. "Sirius, who as you know can't do anything halfway, purchased six tickets, front row center in the premium royal circle of the theatre. We'll be able to see and hear everything to complete perfection."

Remus chimed in, "And this isn't just any performance, either. They brought back the two main stars from the original, Michael Crawford as the Phantom, and Sarah Brightman as Christine. Her thirty fifth birthday is next month plus she and Lloyd Webber are releasing a new album this year, so they are having a celebration by gathering as much of the old crowd as they could for a one month gala."

The dark-haired canine animagus found himself the center of a group hug when all three kids latched onto him abruptly while chanting thank you. He merely laughed as he returned the affectionate embraces before nudging them in the direction of the beautiful old building. As the group approached the doors, men in the theatre's scarlet, black, and white livery opened them and bowed to admit them.

The performance was due to start within the next half hour, so there was a crowd already gathered both inside and outside the theatre. Sirius led the way to one of the ushers and handed him their tickets, which got an immediate response. Apparently, their seats were among the most exclusive for this gala and only the wealthiest of people could have afforded them. Their escort, giving them the most deferential treatment possible, led them up to another level, through a curtained doorway and down the steps to the front row of the terrace. No one else was seated in the area and the man invited them to follow him along the seats until they reached the center.

"Your seats, My Lord," he indicated the six cushioned spaces with a slight bow as he backed out of their way. "Should you need anything further, please do not hesitate to call on me; my name is Daniel. I am assigned to this level and will be just outside the doors throughout the performance."

"Thank you, Daniel," Sirius replied as he slipped the young man a generous tip. "We will certainly call upon you should anything arise." He was given another bow before the usher left the circle to return to his duties.

They settled into their seats, Sirius and Severus bookended the group with Harry seated closest to his father followed by Hermione and Ron while Remus sat beside the potions master. They watched as the seats below them on the floor filled up rapidly in anticipation of the performance starting; the teens making comments at times about an article of clothing or jewelry that caught their attention. When the lights dimmed briefly before coming back up, things quickly grew hushed as there was a last mad scramble for seats. A few more people had joined them in the premium royal circle, but not many and no one seated close enough to pay them much attention.

The prologue began and they were suddenly part of the auction in 1911 listening to the auctioneer as he presented the monkey music box, and then uncovered the remains of the once beautiful chandelier. As its lights flared to life and the chandelier began putting itself back together, the magnificent overture blasted over them in a wave of sound. The intricate music wove its spell again over the audience as the stage was swept back to 1881 and the preparations of the Paris Opera House for _Hannibal_.

When Sarah Brightman stepped forward in the role of Christine and sang her first song, the audience rose its collective feet in thunderous applause. As always, her voice seemed to soar effortlessly up and down the scales of notes written expressly with her in mind by Andrew Lloyd Webber. As the Phantom made his appearance, Michael Crawford was greeted with an even more profound ovation. The fall of the chandelier at the end was masterfully done and appreciated by the audience.

During the intermission, the kids were reliving the previous act with such enthusiasm that the adults were able to step out of the circle and found refreshments being served to the few who shared their seating area. After each had a small flute of champagne, they returned to their chairs as the lights were dimmed in preparation of going out for the next act.

Once again, they were drawn back into the world of opera as the masquerade took place and the Phantom reappeared to make his demands. Hermione surreptitiously swiped at her eyes as Christine sang to her father's grave and smiled over at Sirius when a handkerchief was slipped to her without the others noticing. When the curtain fell on the spotlighted mask left behind by the Phantom when he made his escape, everyone was on their feet applauding and calling for encores.

The two stars appeared and were enticed into singing _All I Ask of You_, and then Sarah graced the audience with a marvelous rendition of _Pie Jesu_. Michael willingly stepped up and belted out _Love Changes Everything_ and then the two again joined in harmony to sing the title song once more.

The group of wizards enjoyed every minute of the performance and was surprised when they were asked by the head usher to please remain in the royal circle. Remus ventured a guess that they were waiting for the upper and lower floors to clear out so the "wealthy and elite needn't sully their pristine clothing by mingling with the commoners." The potions master snorted in disbelief while rolling his eyes.

After several minutes, the theatre manager entered with autographed photos of each of the stars and the musical's creator for everyone. He graciously accepted their thanks on behalf of the performers and the theatre before leading them down the staircase to the main floor and bowed them out of Her Majesty's Theatre.

It was getting late by that point but everyone was feeling the stirrings of hunger again. Sirius led the party to another elegant restaurant that stayed open late for the theatre-goers and asked them if they had an opening for them. To their delight, not only was there an opening, but the restaurant had an open air garden that was almost completely deserted they could have.

Hermione was thrilled by the décor of the place as it looked like something straight out of _Arabian Nights_. Trellis and latticework made up the supports for the sheer hanging fabrics that moved idly in the soft breeze. Done in a variety of shades of blue and mauve, the effect was richly opulent. Their seats were cushioned and covered in deep blue satin while the backs of the chairs had fitted silk covers in alternating blue and mauve stripes. Each table cloth was the finest ink black linen shot through with a scattering of silver threads and there was an ornate crystal vase with a single perfect rose, each table a different color.

To get to their table, they had to walk down a stone path made of white marble, easier to see when it was dark, which was softly lit with tiny tea lights in fragile glass globes. All around were beds of blooming flowers and the occasional decorative flowering tree while the tables and chairs surrounding them sat on their own miniature patios. Above them and wandering through the garden were various exotic birds such as peacocks, African grey parrots, cockatoos, conures, scarlet and hyacinth macaws, Eclectus, Honeycreepers, and Lorikeets. It was obvious that they were well accustomed to people invading their area as they made themselves at home near the table to beg for tidbits and even spoke back when addressed.

Ron, having never really encountered birds outside of the wizarding world, was a bit unsure of what to make of the brightly feathered creatures that graced perches and branches nearby. Remus and Sirius for the most part ignored them while Severus eyed a few as he silently speculated on potions ingredients.

The other two teens quickly made friends with an African grey and hyacinth macaw who would answer questions posed to them and happily allowed the gentle stroking of their feathered forms. When their waiter, Sean, arrived to give them each a menu and take their drink orders, several of the more vocal birds made rude sounds or comments in his direction, which he took in stride, commenting, "Bloody nuisances do that to all the servers, but the patrons like them and they do add something to the garden."

The group laughed when a pale pick cockatoo suddenly fanned its impressive wingspan, raised every feather it could, and began do a weird bob and weave dance on its perch while warbling some bizarre sound. The waiter rolled his eyes, "Yes, thank you, Cleo. You have been duly noted and your performance admired. May I get back to my job now?"

The bird returned her feathers to normal, nodded her head up and down, and shrilled, "Cleo rocks!" to the delight of her audience. Sean just shook his head and left to get their drinks. When he returned he also brought with him some fresh fruit slices, nuts, and small plastic cups of nectar, explaining to them which treat could be fed to which of the birds, preferably a bit away from their table.

Sirius nodded when they were asked if they were ready to order, "We will just order the majority of your appetizers and some soups and salads, if you're ready?" When the man nodded and pulled out his pad of paper, the wizard began, "Roasted corn soup, shrimp cocktail, tuna tartar, steamed mussels and clams, surf and turf skewers, lobster and crab cakes, goat cheese truffles and hazelnut vinaigrette, Dungeness crab salad with tomatoes, cilantro, and smoked pepper, crème fraiche and chive biscuits, royal trumpet mushrooms, and a fresh fruit salad with yogurt sauce."

Their waiter scribbled furiously to keep up, thrilled that even though they weren't ordering entrees, this table would still be quite lucrative for him with the number of appetizers being asked for. He quickly read back everything ordered and received a nod of approval from the handsome Lord, "I will bring another table over so you can spread everything out and not be cramped to just one place."

When Sean left to take their order to the kitchen, Harry and Hermione were able to coax Ron into joining them in feeding the various birds while the adults talked softly at the table about the success of the evening. The red-head quickly lost his apprehension of the birds and found an admirer in one of the scarlet macaws who landed on his shoulder and began preening his hair. The lone girl in the group was delighted when an albino peacock shrilled his distinctive cry as he lifted and spread his magnificent tail as he strut through the garden.

Two men stepped into the outdoor area and picked up a table from nearby to set up against theirs for more space. As they made their way back, they paused occasionally to light some more lamps or replace candles that were sputtering so no one missed a step. When Severus noticed their waiter coming back out with a large tray balanced on his shoulder followed by a couple of other people, he softly recalled the children from their feathered friends.

Sean flipped open a stand to set his tray on while the others placed theirs on nearby tables for him. He quickly placed empty plates and bowls in front of each person before laying out the bounty of appetizers Sirius had ordered. As they had done with dinner earlier, each person took a full plate and removed a small sample before passing it on to the next person then placed it in the center. There was more than enough left over for people to go back for more of their favorites and Sirius ordered more of the surf and turf skewers, biscuits, and mushrooms when they proved to be very popular with everyone. Sean was a diligent waiter who kept glasses topped off, empty plates removed, and answered any questions about the food without being overbearing or appearing to hover.

When everyone pushed back from the table with groans of happy fullness, their waiter gathered up the plates that still had food on them and disappeared to place them into boxes for the group to take home. When he returned, Sean inquired if there was anything further they needed and when answered negatively, discretely slid the bill in its leather binder onto the table beside Sirius. He made the final round of removing dishes and when he returned, was handed the binder.

Without looking inside, Sean murmured, "I'll return directly with your change, sir."

He was waved off by the Lord, "None needed, and thank you for your outstanding service this evening."

The waiter bowed and bid the table a good night before taking the billfold to the register; once there he received quite a shock to find he had been tipped 30% of the huge bill. He was sure there was a problem and turned to go back to the table only to find the group leaving. Catching the eye of the man who had paid him so handsomely, Sean was further stunned when he held up the money and was given a smile and shake of the head as the adults gently herded tired teens out the door. When they were gone, the other staff members gathered around to see what had happened and began teasing him that drinks were on him for the next two weeks with all that money!

There were few people about at that hour so the group made their way to a darkened alley and the adults each snagged a sleepy child to apparate home with. Once inside, the kids were sent to get ready for bed while Sirius, Severus, and Remus disappeared into their own rooms to change as well.

As was his habit, Sirius checked on each of the children before seeking his own rest. He went into the room he had set aside for Ron, chuckling when he found the boy passed out, fully clothed still, on top of his covers. An easy switching spell changed him into something more suited to bed and a feather-light charm allowed the man to lift him just enough to pull back the covers, resettle him, and tuck him in. He slipped out to Hermione's room next, finding her already changed, in bed, and deeply asleep. He lightly smoothed a hand over her tousled hair before leaving to check his son.

Harry was just barely awake, eyes heavy lidded as he fought sleep, lying on his side facing the edge of the bed. His father sat down next to him, stroking a loving hand through the teen's black hair, "Rest now, son. You've had a very busy day."

"Wanted to see you," the youngster muttered, "to thank you for the day. 'Swas great."

"You're very welcome, of course. Happy fifteenth birthday, Harry."

"T'anks," came the soft mumble as sleep completely enveloped the wizard.

Sirius spent a few more minutes lighting carding his fingers through Harry's mane of hair before rising and heading for his own room. The day had gone perfectly, for once exactly as he planned it with no irritating surprises or nasty bombshells. He stretched out on his bed with a deep sigh as his muscles collapsed in relief. Well, one day out of fourteen years wasn't bad…

The next day was one of relaxation for the little family as everyone slept in late after getting in during the wee hours of the morning. A leisurely brunch of leftovers followed by a relaxing stroll in the garden was topped off by the appearance of an elegant eagle owl bearing a letter addressed to the Lord of the Manor:

_My Dear Cousin,_

_It is my sincere hope that this letter finds you and family in excellent health and enjoying a summer of peace and tranquility. Draco reminded me yesterday that it was Harry's birthday, though I chose to wait until today to contact you so he would be your sole focus. I would like to invite you and Harry to tea this afternoon if your schedule permits so that I can get to know my new family member and give him a gift to honor his natal day. Please fire-call Malfoy Manor so I know if this is acceptable or not._

_With much affection,_

_Narcissa_

Sirius turned to his son, "So, what do you think, Harry? Does tea with your extended family sound good this afternoon? We won't have to stay, long, perhaps an hour or two."

The teen nodded, "At the end of last year, Draco seemed like he had changed and wanted to start over. And I would like to meet his mother again; she seemed like a very elegant aristocrat."

"That would indeed depict Narcissa Malfoy perfectly, Harry," Severus chimed in. "She never truly subscribed to her husband's way of thinking and was dead set against the Dark Lord. Though she is a member of the Black Family, she was always more understanding of the Muggleborns than most and kept in quiet contact with her sister Andromeda even after she married a Muggle. I believe she is actually Godmother to her niece Nymphadora, isn't she, Padfoot?"

"Yes, even though she had to pretend to follow Voldemort to keep Draco safe, Cissy despised everything he stood for and the punishments he meted out to his followers." Folding up the letter, he returned to the house and contacted Malfoy Manor.

Two hours later, Sirius steadied Harry as they apparated away from home and appeared about 30 feet from the imposing gates of Malfoy Manor. The man kept one hand lightly resting on his son's neck as he strode forward, and the magic inherent in the entryway recognized the Lord and swung open on silent hinges. Harry couldn't help but stare around them as an open-air carriage met them just inside (sans anything pulling it). Sirius nudged him up and seated himself before tapping the side of the conveyance to signal their readiness.

The manicured lawns were bordered on either side by large hedges kept trimmed to perfection and swept up a large hill where at the top sat the manor house. Shaped in the form of a capital H and made of dark grey stone, it was beautifully silhouetted against the bright blue sky. Soaring turrets capped with black cones made the huge white trimmed windows stand out in brilliant relief. Behind the house sat the gardens, lovely flowers of all kinds blossomed amid elegant trees and tiny ponds filled multicolored fish, while a large lake held prominence further back.

The front of the building had a huge covered porch with several steps leading up to the entrance and as they approached the manor, the front door swung open and Lady Malfoy stepped out, followed by her only child. Sirius exited the coach and smiled warmly up at the lovely blonde, "Hello, Cissy, thank you for inviting us over for a visit."

Narcissa Malfoy moved down several steps until she was almost level with the tall man, holding out her hands for him to take as she leaned forward to lightly press a kiss to each cheek, "Welcome, cousin. I'm so glad you were able to come." She turned a welcoming gaze to the young wizard who came with Sirius, "Hello, Harry, and welcome to Malfoy Manor."

Climbing out behind his father, Harry remembered his last meeting with the mother of his former rival and bowed politely, "Good afternoon, Aunt Cissy; thank you for your invitation." When she held out a hand to him, he gingerly accepted it and was a bit surprised when she gave him the same salute as she had her cousin.

Once his mother had greeted their visitors, Draco approached and extended his hand first to Sirius and then to Harry, "Welcome to our home, sir, cousin."

Gripping the young Heir's hand firmly, the man nodded in acknowledgement, "As Harry is calling your mother Aunt, Draco, you may call me Uncle Sirius when we're not in school if you'd like."

A quick grin brightened the teen's somewhat shadowed pale eyes at the invitation, "Thank you, Uncle Sirius."

Leading the way back into the house and to a small salon so they could visit, Narcissa graciously gestured her guests to seat themselves on elegant cushioned chairs set up around a dainty antique coffee table. Once they were settled, she nodded to Draco who called one of the house elves and requested tea and cakes be brought in.

When the elf disappeared, the witch smiled at Harry, "I know your birthday was yesterday, but we didn't want to intrude on your time as I'm sure your father had something special planned for you." She reached under the table and drew out a small unwrapped box to hand him, "We wanted you to have something from us, both as a gift for your birthday and as a welcome to the family."

"Thank you, Aunt Cissy, Draco." Harry carefully opened the box and was stunned to find a stylish (and obviously very expensive) gold pocket watch. The front was engraved with a snitch that had been outlined in silver while on the back were his name and three dates: the day of his birth, the day of Voldemort's death, and the day his adoption came through. When he pressed the release key, he found a wizarding photo inside on the left side of his parents with Sirius just after graduation and on the right, the face of the timepiece had diamonds to mark 12, 3, 6, and 9 with emerald chips for the numbers in between. The magical chain could become longer or shorter as needed to suit the wearer and made of the same gold as the watch.

"It's fantastic," Harry stated as he passed it over to his father to see, "thank you so much!" In a move rare for a boy reticent around people he didn't know well, the young man rose and moved to his aunt's side to give her a gentle embrace of appreciation. Cissy, knowing some of Harry's background from her cousin, was both surprised and enormously pleased by the gesture and held him close for several moments. The teen inhaled her subtle perfume and relished in her motherly hold, part of him envying his former rival.

As if he read the other wizard's mind, Draco rose as Cissy released Harry and offered his hand again. When the young animagus gripped it and thanked him, the blond pulled him to a brief hug, "Not only are you family now, Harry, you did us all a great service by getting rid of the Dark Lord. A watch is the very least we could get for you. Do you like the snitch on the front? I told mother I thought it would be a nice touch with you being Seeker for the House team."

Placing his free hand on the young man's shoulder, Harry grinned at him, "The snitch is brilliant, Draco; I especially like how it's outlined to make it more distinctive. It was the perfect thing to put on the watch to personalize it along with the dates on the back."

As the boys sat back down, the house elf arrived with tea and cakes for everyone and the quartet spent the next two hours talking about various topics including a much abbreviated version of their birthday trip. Sirius told them they had gone to the Tor, out to eat, and to see the musical, but he purposefully left out anything concerning Merlin and their visit to Avalon. Cissy took the opportunity given to her to talk to and ask questions concerning Harry. The young mage was her cousin's son and next Heir so she wanted to get to know him and help Draco repair the damage that had been done since they started at Hogwarts their first year.

When the visit was over, the Malfoys walked their guests to the porch and hugs were again exchanged between everyone. Narcissa smoothed a hand over the youngster's black hair with a tender smile, "I'm aware of your past with my son, Harry, and that you know very little about me, but I do hope that you will eventually come to see me as everything your mother's sister was not. I've never followed the Dark Lord and hated that my husband did, so everything I ever did was to protect Draco. Lily was a woman of unusual grace, beauty, gentleness, and power and I could never take her place, nor would I want to. She was your mother and will always remain so; but I would like to offer to be a female figure you can talk to about things you can't with your father and uncles."

Harry leaned into her for another embrace and whispered into her soft pale hair, "Thank you, Aunt Cissy; I would like that very much." He straightened with a smile, "Mrs. Weasley has always tried to mother me, but she has her hands full with Ginny and all the boys." Turning his head slightly he looked over at the other teenager, "But only if Draco's okay with it. I'd like to be his friend as well as his cousin and don't want something like this to come between that."

The thin blond boy slapped him on the back, "Mother and I already talked about it, cousin, and I told her I thought it would be a great idea. Merlin knows you could use a woman of her aristocratic Blood and impeccable manners to teach you a few things."

Recognizing that he was being teased, Harry responded in kind as he stuck his nose in the air, "Well, seeing that she failed so much with you as her initial test subject, I can see why someone of her Blood and manners would want a better model to teach."

Draco reached out and pinched the other's nose in retaliation, "Prat." The small group shared in the laughter of being a family as they said their farewells.


	19. Chapter 19

PART 19

Ron stayed with them for two weeks and the Golden Trio had a blast roaming through the manor house, the gardens, and the grounds surrounding them. Harry knew where the wards were and also knew not to press them as the first and only time he had ever crossed them had been a complete accident and brought spectacular results. He had transformed into Istar and was flying at top speed around the estate, pushing himself to see what his physical limitations were when he hit the invisible barrier. It was as if a mighty hand reached out and grabbed him, pulling him to the ground where vines and roots writhed greedily in anticipation of holding him captive. Unable to transform, unable to move, Harry went into full panic, vocalizing his unusual cry in a desperate plea for help as his mind flailed wildly for control.

Up at the house, only Severus had been home. Hermione been taken by Remus back to Hogwarts for a final visit to Madame Pomfrey to clear her medically of her trauma and Sirius was at the Ministry filling out some obscure paperwork only they could come up with pertaining to the girl's guardianship while in his care. When the winged unicorn slammed into the barrier, alarms went off all over the manor and a map appeared over the potion master's head showing him exactly where the breach was. Summoning a broom to him for speed, the man raced swiftly, but cautiously in the direction he knew was fluctuating. Keeping to the trees as he neared the area, he spotted the teen's animagus form instantly and hurtled forward with all the speed he could muster.

Pulling his wand as he leaped from the broom, Severus ordered the encompassing vines to retract their hold and reset the barrier to release its victim to him. The equine was dropped basically at his feet and he had to scrabble back quickly to avoid being kicked as Istar struggled to gain his bearings and get to his feet. Finally lunging upwards, wing feathers in tatters from the grip of the vines, Harry stumbled in confusion, nearly stabbing his professor on accident and not even realizing it.

Severus called a calming potion to him from the house and simply spelled it into the young animagi's stomach to help settle him. It took effect quickly, for which both were grateful, and Istar's distress cries dwindled to whimpers and soft snufflings as he leaned his elegant head lightly into the reassuring form of Severus Snape.

"Harry, I need you to focus on my voice, can you do that?" The equine's head slowly bobbed, as he focused on the soft, silky voice, "Very good, child. Now, I want you to stay as still as you can so I can cast a diagnostic spell to determine if you have any injuries, alright?" Another bob. Severus quickly ran the spell and was grateful to find nothing broken or seriously injured. The wing feathers were bent in a variety of odd directions that would have grounded a winged creature in the Muggle world, but fortunately for Istar, the potions master was able cast a spell to smooth them down.

Once the wings were whole again, Severus slipped his wand back into its holster and gently cupped the colt's muzzle, "Alright, Harry, you're going to be sore for a couple of days, though I can give you something for the discomfort. I want you to concentrate now and change forms for me."

Istar took a couple of shaky steps back to give himself room, then closed his eyes as he focused on his human side. After a few seconds, an unsteady teenager stood before his honorary uncle and was quickly enfolded in arms made strong by years of carrying cauldrons. Snape remounted the broom after casting a feather light charm on the boy and carried him back to the manor where he settled him on one of the couches in the library. Harry was dosed with a couple of different potions, much to his disgust, and spent the next hour dozing until Sirius flooed back home and freaked out over the incident.

Harry had related the story of his impact with the wards to his friends and made sure they knew how far they could go so there wasn't a repeat. One evening, the group gathered near the lake with a bonfire toasting marshmallows and hot dogs while telling ghost stories perfectly suited to an eerie night. The two canine, equine, and feline animagi chased and tackled one another through the grass as Remus and Hermione cast spells every now and then to either help or hinder each of creatures.

There were only two weeks left before the start of the new term and the adults knew it was time to return to Hogwarts to prepare for the upcoming school year. Harry and Hermione were excited to be going back early with them and planned to do as much exploration as they could of areas they hadn't been able to get to before. They were also looking forward to seeing what new creatures Hagrid had managed to get his hands on for Care of Magical Creatures classes. Since it was also their OWLs year, they knew things were going to be extremely busy and were hoping to get a jump start by conning the teachers into copies (or at least a peek) at the curriculums for each class.

The house was packed up and all five flooed to the little family's section of the castle and settled into their rooms before the professors made their way to their respective classrooms to make sure everything was where it had been left. The kids bolted to Hagrid's hut, but were disappointed to find him out for the day so they returned to the school.

At dinner that evening, they were all in for a nasty surprise.

Dumbledore entered with Minerva, speaking in low tones to each other and looking very grave until they saw the children. The ancient headmaster greeted each with a gentle pat and inquired as to their health while reassuring Hermione on the condition of her parents. The headmistress lightly smoothed a hand over their heads and announced she was pleased to see they were both looking so well after everything they had been through.

The school's mediwitch slipped in and surreptitiously cast a diagnostic spell on her favorite students before announcing her presence. Hagrid nearly smothered the kids with his hugs when he arrived and wiped away tears once Sirius and Severus rescued them.

Teachers from each of the classes came into the Great Hall for the meal and gathered into small groups, speaking in hushed voices. Even the Marauders joined in while the teens kept their distance.

Finally, Hermione turned to her friend and whispered, "Harry, what do you think is going on?"

The young wizard watched his father and uncles closely, noting their darkening expressions and a familiar harshness settling over the potions master's angular face, "I don't know, but I would hazard the guess that it's something really bad. I haven't seen that particular look on Sev's face since third year; and even Remus is starting to look a bit…wolfish for lack of a better word."

"All the professors look like they're on edge, almost like they're waiting for Voldemort to floo in or something," the girl commented.

"Ahem."

All murmurs in the room ceased abruptly as everyone turned to face the center of the room and had their eyes assaulted by a shade of pink so garish it almost hurt to view for any length of time. The witch standing before them was small in stature with graying hair and a fixed smile as she surveyed the gathering like a bubblegum colored vulture. Slowly she began walking forward and it was all Harry could do to keep himself from walking backwards away from her approach. There was just something so repellent about her that it brought out his unicorn's instinct to flee.

As if he noticed his son's discomfort, Sirius broke away from the group he had been speaking with and returned to Harry, stopping beside him and placing a warm, strong hand on the slender shoulder in support. Harry looked up at his dad with a grateful smile and leaned into his father's warm and comforting side as Hermione scooted closer to her friend and slid a hand into his.

"So," oozed the pink-clad creature in sugary sweet tones, "this is the famous Harry Potter. Of course I've heard so much about you, I being the under-secretary to the Minster of Magic, Cornelius Fudge." The teens managed to keep from rolling their eyes at her, as if they didn't know who the man was. "I suppose we have you to thank for the situation with You-Know-Who."

"It's actually Potter-Black now, ma'am; and what situation with Voldemort are you referring to?" Harry inquired as politely as he could.

Her eyes cut briefly to the handsome wizard beside the boy, "Yes, I did hear you had been adopted by…an escapee from Azkaban."

Almost every professor in the room stared at her with jaws gaping at her implications. The way she worded things made it sound as if it were Harry's fault the Dark Lord had come into being at all and that Sirius should still be locked away. The teenager stole a glance in the direction of his uncles and was not surprised to see the werewolf's eyes almost glowing with amber fire and the potion master's furious glare was firmly in place while his hands were knotted in fists so tight his knuckles were white. He already knew his father was enraged by the tightening of the hand on his shoulder and the tensing of the man's body.

Quickly making a decision, the young wizard pulled away from Sirius and stepped forward, forcing his hand to reach out, "A pleasure to meet you, Ms…?"

She looked at his hand as if it were a snake coming to bite her and actually took a half step backwards, "It's _Professor_, actually. Professor Umbridge."

Hermione looked faintly green at that announcement and choked out, "What class will you be teaching, ma'am?"

After a scathing look at the girl for daring to speak without being spoken to first, the woman announced, "Well, I was supposed to teach Defense, but Professor Dumbledore has told me that the position is currently…occupied, and by someone who is familiar with the Dark Arts, given his background. So I will be teaching the History of Magic."

Already angry at her implied insults, fury welled up inside Harry at the slam against his beloved uncle and the castle began a faint shivering in response as the enchanted ceiling above them went from a clear star-filled night to a turbulent thunderstorm. Instantly, Sirius reached out and grabbed his son by the shoulders, yanking the boy back against him and breaking his focus, causing the ceiling to return to normal and vibrations to stop.

But it was too late, the damage had been done and now Delores Umbridge was staring at Harry as if he'd just slapped her and dumped paint on her favorite kitten. Regaining her composure, the witch turned to Albus, "Did you see what just happened? That boy is too dangerous to have around civilized people! I demand that you remove him from this school this very instant! Imagine letting something that has been raised in the manner he has free rein to mingle at will with others."

Before anyone could more or speak, Albus Dumbledore's slow measured footsteps brought him to stand directly in front of the vile woman. He leaned in closer so that only she could hear him and murmured something directly to her face. Umbridge went completely white as her eyes bulged in their sockets at the much taller man and she whispered, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Do not test me further, Madame, lest my words become reality."

Without speaking another word, she gave him a venomous glare and left the Great Hall as quickly as her short legs would carry her leaving silence hanging over the professors still gathered. Professor Sprout finally gave voice to what most of them had been thinking, though in far different words, "My goodness, what a singularly unpleasant woman!"

Sneer firmly in place, however not directed at his colleague, Snape hissed, "What were you thinking, Albus, in hiring that harridan?"

"I had no choice in the matter, my boy; Cornelius sent me an owl stating that he was sending a Ministry representative to make sure we were, and I quote, 'teaching our magical young to be correct and upstanding witches and wizards in order to avoid further unpleasantness.' I can only assume he means he would like to circumvent the rise of another Dark Lord during his time in office." As Dumbledore spoke, he made his way around the table that had been set up for the teachers and two students and lowered himself to his cushioned seat slowly.

Remus, glowing eyes fixed on the path Umbridge had taken out of the room, didn't even realize he was growling softly until Hermione, proving her Gryffindor courage, approached him and gently touched his arm. Looking down into the girl's worried face, he swallowed his rage and forced a smile for her, "Forgive me, child, I hope I didn't frighten you."

"Of course not, but I didn't want you giving that…that…_creature_, any further reason to belittle you; or worse, try to get you thrown in Azkaban just for being a werewolf."

Severus placed a hand lightly on the young woman's shoulder in approval and guided her to a chair at the head table while stating, "That will not happen so long as we draw breath, correct, Sirius?"

"Correct, Severus." The canine animagus physically directed his son to a seat and dropped into the one beside it before catching the boy's chin so he could look into his eyes, "You absolutely _must _keep yourself under control and remember everything you were taught over the summer. I don't care what that despicable female does or says in the future, you will not lose command of your magic again in such manner. Do you understand, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," the young mage whispered, devastated to have disappointed his father in the way he had, and in front of everyone!

"Are you sure? Are you truly listening to me and understand what I'm saying? I don't ever want a repeat of what just happened."

He wanted to crawl under the table in humiliation, "Yes, sir, I hear you and I understand."

Attempting to turn attention away from Harry who was struggling to control himself after being dressed-down, Albus called for dinner and was pleased when everyone settled in to eat. Conversations were few and soft after Umbridge's departure and the staff was quick to finish so they could leave in case she came back.

Harry actually ate very little and vanished his plate as fast as he could so no one would notice. He glanced at his father from under his fringe of hair and whispered, "May I be excused, please?"

Engaged in conversation with Professor Flitwick, Sirius broke off long enough to nod, "Yes, Harry. I'll see you in our quarters later."

The boy rose silently, slipped out of his chair, pushed it back in to the table, and fled as quickly as he could without drawing everyone's attention. Hermione, who had been sitting across from her friend and of course took note of everything, started to open her mouth to say something to Sirius when he flicked a glance at her and nodded faintly. After a couple of moments, he ended his chat with the small man and rose, excusing himself from the table.

After leaving the Great Hall, Harry picked up speed and hurried past the main doors of the castle, down the hallway, out the door at the end, and into the courtyard. Once there, he went to a large tree in the middle that had low hanging branches and scrambled up several to a big branch about halfway up where he could lean back against the trunk and pull his knees up under his chin. Locking his arms around his legs, the teen, perfectly balanced from several years on a much narrower broomstick, buried his face and let the tears fall.

He was completely embarrassed by several things, first and foremost losing control in front of the toad, second for having it pointed out in front of everyone, and third (worst in his mind) was the fact that he was sitting up a tree bawling his eyes out over an adult being angry with him.

'What is the matter with me,' Harry thought, 'I've never worried over what grown-ups said or did to me before, why should I now? But he should have waited until we were alone in our quarters rather than chewing me out like some three year old on a playground in front of everyone!'

Wiping his eyes, the boy stared blankly into the encroaching darkness of night trying to turn his feelings of embarrassment into anger and failing miserably. No matter how hard he tried to spin it in his mind, Harry knew that he had been in the wrong by losing control the way he had. Bad enough to do it in front of the teachers and that horrid new witch, but for it to happen in Hogwarts and show everyone just how powerful he was now made it even worse. The school was supposed to be charmed against outbursts from magical children, and yet here he was, the child of magic, shaking the very foundations of the ancient castle. Sirius had been completely in the right when he tore a verbal strip out of his hide.

The soft murmur of a voice below him nearly startled Harry into taking a header out of the tree on his own when he was suddenly grabbed by unseen hands and pulled sideways. Grabbing frantically at the branch to prevent himself from falling proved futile and the teen dropped like a stone, only to stop abruptly before hitting the ground. A slight flick of what he perceived was a wand tipped him upright and placed him on his feet in front of his father.

"How did you know where I was?" he blurted out.

One eyebrow went up as steady grey eyes gazed piercingly into green, "Do you think that you're the first boy to use that particular tree as a place to escape? Or the first one to have a parent fuss at him in front of others?"

Harry dropped his gaze to the soft carpet of grass between them and whispered, "No, sir."

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, please." Fearful eyes snapped up as the slender body flinched back slightly, breaking the man's heart, "Thank you."

Despite being separated from his aunt for over a year, having a person completely devoted to his care, being adopted, and getting assured every day of how loved his was, Harry was still unsure of his place in the world of grownups. Sirius had done everything he could to prove his love and dedication to the boy and knew that Harry loved him in return, but the teen couldn't completely overcome to abuse he'd suffered after his parents died.

This was hard for the handsome Lord to endure. He preferred to be the fun guy who played tag with his son in their animagus forms, the one who sat with Harry and helped him understand his homework, the one who could actually keep up with the young Seeker on a broom, and the one who shared his affection openly and constantly. Being the disciplinarian was not his strong suit, but when it came to his son's protection and care, he wouldn't hesitate to ground the kid or give him a stern talking to, even if it caused this reaction.

In his heart, Harry knew that Sirius would never hurt him physically or magically on purpose, but the behavior and response had been too deeply ingrained from his abusive childhood to change so soon. He saw the slight darkening of pain in the man's eyes when he'd flinched, but he just couldn't help it.

"Perhaps I should have waited to talk to you when we were alone, Harry, but you scared the life out of me when you lost control. That woman has far too much political power for my peace of mind and she has been placed at Hogwarts to cause trouble, not just for Albus, but for all of us. She appears to have a deep-seated hatred for anyone or anything out of her view of what is normal, and unfortunately you, Remus, Severus, Hermione, and I fall well short of her mark." The tall man began pacing, "You were already on her bad list because of who you are and who you associate with; your actions in the Great Hall have only served to double her fear and dislike of you. I had to stop you before something worse happened and we all ended up in Azkaban. We've all worked too hard these last couple of months to teach you how to harness your emotions and power for you to jeopardize everything like that! If need be, I will pull you out of this school and teach you at home myself before I allow you to be caged like an animal and stripped of your magic!" He stopped and faced the young wizard, "I don't like having this conversation with you, son, but I will protect you, even from yourself, even if it means my own death, no matter what. Do you understand me, Harry?"

If he had been tormented before, he was doubly devastated now. Sirius had never spoken to him like this before. Sure the man had been solemn and somewhat stern in the past about a few things, but nothing like this had ever occurred before. Tears flooded his eyes again as he cursed himself for causing his father such pain; then he railed at his emotions for getting the better of him. He was fifteen for Merlin's sake! He shouldn't be weeping like a pre-teen girl mourning her first crush!

"Yes, sir," he managed to croak out, "I understand and I swear I won't let it happen again." A strangled sob escaped before he could choke it back, "I'm so sorry, Sirius; I'm so sorry!" Instinctively, he turned away, wanting to get away from the scene of his embarrassment and failure, but he didn't get very far.

Strong arms caught him from behind and wheeled him back around, one large hand tunneling into his hair as he was pulled tight against his father's chest. He tried to push away, knowing he didn't deserve the comfort of that embrace, but the man wouldn't let him go and he heard that soft velvet voice growl, "Blast it, Harry, stop trying to run _**from **_me and start running _**to **_me!"

That did it. Harry fell completely apart at those words as he realized that they were completely true. No matter how much he loved and trusted his godfather, now his parent, no matter how reassured he was of the man's love in return, the boy hadn't been able to bring himself to completely and fully give himself over to the mage's care. There was always this soft voice in the back of his mind that whispered he was still unworthy and would one day be brushed aside like the speck of dirt he was while his father moved on to bigger and better things rather than be tied down to a useless child that wasn't even his.

Feeling the violent tremors racking the thin body he held and hearing the harsh sobs threatening to tear the teen apart, Sirius tightened his hold, gently pressing Harry's face into the crook of his neck so he could murmur reassurances in his ear. When the youngster suddenly began fighting him, the man wasn't surprised. He had actually been expecting this to happen at some point.

Harry had seemed to be a happy, healthy, well-adjusted child, but Sirius knew the teen still harbored deep fears and kept a small part locked away where no one, especially an adult, could get to and possibly hurt him. If he could erase all those years of being in Azkaban while his son was being tortured by Petunia, he would in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that was beyond even his immense power. All he could do was continue to hold the young wizard and pray that he would one day break through that hidden armor and reach the Harry he knew was buried deep inside.

To Harry, it just wasn't fair. Why did Sirius have to be so much stronger than he was and try to hold him so tightly? All he wanted to do was escape to some dark corner of the castle so he could hide away and cry without an audience. Was that too much to ask? It apparently was when his struggles proved ineffective against the determined man's prevailing grip on him. When he finally gave up and let his face drop against his father's neck, the words being spoken to him finally began to penetrate.

"It's alright, son, just let it out so you'll feel better. I'm here. I've got you safe and sound. No one can hurt you and everyone needs to cry sometimes. I love you so much and while I know you love me in return, I understand that it's hard to trust me completely, since before I took over your life, you never had an adult who didn't try to hurt you or manipulate you or just plain didn't care what happened to you so long as you stayed out of the way and followed orders."

Sweet Merlin, it was like Sirius was reading his very soul! How did the man know what he was thinking and feeling? That caused Harry even more consternation and he resumed his struggles for freedom to no avail; his father simply embraced him more firmly and continued to talk to him.

"Don't fight me, Harry, please don't fight me. I know you're scared and confused right now and I understand. I'm not going to let you go; I'm not going to let you run away and hide no matter how much you might want to. You're exactly where you belong, safe in my arms and close to my heart. Maybe one day you'll let your walls down completely and come to trust me totally, but for now I'm content to be your father and I will love you no matter what happens."

Something inside the teenager seemed to splinter abruptly as he stood there in his father's arms. Fifteen years old, possibly the most powerful wizard of his time, the boy who lived twice, descendent of the great Merlin of Britain, the child of magic itself, and none of it mattered. The only thing that did right at that moment was the man who held him. His guardian, his protector, his father.

Prepared for a prolonged struggle with the teen, Sirius was surprised when Harry suddenly collapsed against him, wrapping his thin arms around the man's waist and locking his fingers into the back of his robes. The child attached himself to his father like a barnacle, buried his face into his shoulder, and wept as though his heart were broken and his spirit had shattered into a million tiny fragments. Not knowing what else to do and praying it was the right thing, Sirius held the boy as tightly as he could and began swaying slightly back and forth as he whispered reassurances to him.

It seemed like hours had passed when Harry finally pulled himself together enough to release the desperate grip he had on his father's back. Sirius loosened his own hold and began rubbing soothingly up and down the slender spine with one hand while the other lightly massaged his son's tight neck.

After a few shuddering breaths, the teen straightened slightly and was given some freedom of movement but not completely released; Sirius wasn't about to risk another attempt to run and kept firm hands on Harry's shoulders. Slowly, he raised tear-bright eyes to look at his father, "I'm sorry, Sirius, for everything." When the man simply nodded, Harry gathered the courage to continue, "I'm sorry for losing control in the Hall like that, for bolting right after dinner…"

"For not eating your dinner," the canine animagus interjected.

Harry couldn't help the small smile that quirked his lips, "For not eating my dinner," he agreed. "For crawling up a tree rather than talking to you, for fighting you, for trying to run away from you." He took a deep breath, then another, before finally saying, "And for not trusting you completely. I've tried and I thought that I had it hidden away good enough that you didn't know. I remember when I first came to live with you that summer and got trapped in Moony's cell in the basement. All I could think about I needed you to get me out and protect me, and yet even then and all this time I've still been holding back with you."

"I understand that, Harry, and you were doing a pretty good job at hiding it, but I could still sense that you were holding something back from me. You told me how much you loved me, you wanted to be my son, and you placed your life in my hands on several occasions, but there's always been something in you I couldn't touch. I could see it when you were with Ron and especially Hermione, and I realized that it was that complete trust you had in them. They were both kids like you, and Hermione was as new to the magical world as you. They didn't make demands the way adults did, nor did they abuse you in any way; plus they were co-conspirators in crime for some of the fiascos you got into." He narrowed his eyes slightly, "Which reminds me, when we were in Avalon, what was Hermione saying about a troll, a dragon, and a basilisk?"

A look panic crossed the boy's mobile features and he opened and closed his mouth like a fish several times while all that came out was, "I…I…I…I"

Sirius finally took pity on him and let loose with one of his rich bark-like laughs, "It's alright, son; what's in the past is in the past. I certainly can't and won't punish you for something you did before I came along and took over your life."

"Thank Merlin," the teen whispered.

"But you'd better believe that I'm watching over you now and there will be no more placing your life in danger."

"At least last year wasn't my fault," Harry pointed out.

"True," Sirius conceded, "Last year was definitely Voldemort and his crew with the Tri-Wizard Championship. I'm just thankful you were able to protect yourself and defeat him."

The young wizard looked earnestly into the deep grey eyes before him, "I really am sorry for everything, dad. It just…got all out of control tonight and then I realized how unfair I was being to you in not trusting you completely. You've not done anything for me to think I can't trust you, but I keep holding it back."

One large hand came up to cup the teen's chin, "Harry, until you were thirteen, you didn't even know I existed, and then it was believed that I was out to get you. How could you possibly base a relationship on trust when it starts like that? I just hope that, in time, you will know you can trust me with anything and everything." When the boy started to protest he slipped the hand under the teen's chin up over his mouth, "No, son; don't try to convince either yourself or me that you're ready to let go and trust me without question. We both know it isn't true, but for now, I'm okay with that." Sirius pulled his son close for another hug, "Just remember that I love you no matter what. Can you do that for me?"

Harry nodded against the hard chest he was pressed to, "I love you, too, dad. I really,


	20. Chapter 20

PART 20

It came as no surprise to Sirius that night to be awakened by a loud scream.

The five of them had a quiet evening in the common room of the Marauder's Quarters with the three men going over their class notes for the upcoming semester and the kids looking through their new books for the year and talking softly about certain things that caught their attention. Emotionally wrung out from before, Harry decided to go to bed early and read for a while. His father understood this, gave him a fifteen minute head start, and went in to tell him goodnight only to find him already sound asleep.

Knowing that the turmoil of the evening would probably backlash into nightmares, Sirius set up silencing charms that encompassed only his and Harry's rooms so any cries would only be heard by him and not disturb the rest of the group. Three hours later, his precautions proved correct. However, before he could finish getting out of bed, the door connecting his room to Harry's was thrown open as the teen raced through it and nearly tackled the man.

"You're here…you're okay…you're here…you're okay…" Harry kept chanting as he looked his father over for injuries.

Rather than try to argue with the boy or figure out what was going on at that particular moment, Sirius simply held still and let Harry pat his face, arms, chest, and back as if looking for wounds. Once he settled back onto the bed with a sigh of relief Sirius asked, "Was I hurt or dead?"

For once the youngster didn't flinch away from his direct gaze, "I'm not really sure. You were hurt, but then you vanished; almost like you'd apparated."

He nodded, "What led up to that?"

"We were in the Great Hall, you and me, Sev, Remus, Hermione, some of the other professors, Draco, Ron, and other students eating. All of the sudden, Umbridge came in, walked up to the head table where you were sitting, and cast a blasting curse. Everyone went flying and when I screamed, you vanished and she turned around to face me, and her eyes were red. Like Voldemort's had been. Just like his."

"Easy, Harry," Sirius soothed softly, trying to prevent the kid from getting too worked up and agitated again, "nothing happened and we're all fine."

"But what if it does happen or she does something else?"

"Then we'll deal with it as it comes, but obsessing over what might be will only give you further nightmares and make you miserable. Trust me, the three of us are already on our guard when it comes to that woman and the other professors feel the exact same way. She won't do anything without bringing the wrath of this entire castle down on her head, no matter what the Ministry might try."

The youngster nodded slowly, trying to convince himself that what his father said was right, but he was still worried about the dream coming true, "Thanks, dad." He glanced uneasily back at the door to his room, "I'm sorry I woke you up. I guess I should get back to bed and try to sleep."

Sirius wrapped a large hand around the back of his son's neck and squeezed gently, "Why don't you go grab your pillow and a blanket and crash in here with me tonight. Merlin knows this bed is large enough, we could invite Onyx, Moony, Feather, and Carad in here with us and still have plenty of room."

Chuckling softly at that picture, as his father had hoped he would, Harry nodded and went to his room to gather up bedclothes. When he came back in, Sirius helped him make a little nest on the other side of the bed and tucked him in once he was settled. The man then crawled back under his own warm covers, _noxxed_ the lights, and rolled over to face the boy. Reaching out, he encouraged the teen to stretch out on his stomach and began to lightly rub his back and card his fingers through the thick black hair so like his own. Knowing that Harry took comfort in the sound of his voice, Sirius began talking in low tones about James and Lily until he felt the tense muscles beneath his hand collapse completely into sleep. With a sigh of relief, the guardian of the boy who lived allowed himself to drift off as well.

The next morning, Harry awoke to find himself curled up in a ball with his back near the edge of the bed. Opening his eyes, he grinned to see his father sprawled face down across most of the available area, though one hand remained in contact with the boy. When the teen shifted position to move away from the edge slightly, dark grey eyes snapped open and focused on him instantly before the hand resting on the boy's arm tightened and tugged him closer.

Harry grinned at the man once he'd moved in about six inches, "So much for sharing the bed with four other people."

He received a smile in return as Sirius rolled onto his side, "I said we could invite them to join us, I never said anything about actually sharing space."

Laughing softly, the young wizard suddenly burrowed into the covers resting over his father's chest and flung an arm around his waist. There was no hesitation on the man's part as he wrapped both arms around his son and pulled him close, tucking the rumpled black head under his chin.

"I love you, dad."

"I love you, too, son; very, very much."

Harry cuddled for a few more precious minutes of peace with his protector before shifting away and making a mad scramble for the bathroom. Sirius lay in the big bed for a little longer, letting the joy of his son's love seep into his soul before rising to face the day.

And so ended the peace that had reigned in the castle that summer. The time flew past for the two teens and the professors preparing for the next invasion of young witches and wizards. Harry and Hermione had met their friends at the doors of Hogwarts when the carriages arrived and the student body was stunned to see Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy not only being cordial to one another, but actually greeting each other warmly as cousins. The Sorting Hat welcomed them with a song that was, for once, not filled with terrors and dire warnings, but hope for a peaceful future and then placed the new firsties into the appropriate Houses.

Dumbledore welcomed them all back and announced that though he was still Headmaster, Professor McGonagall would be taking over much of his duties within the school while he was working on another project. As such, last year's arrangements would be in effect with Severus assisting Minerva and Remus working with the Slytherins. Sirius was still on as Transfiguration professor and Head of Gryffindor while the other teachers remained in their normal positions, with one exception.

Seated at the Head Table, all the way down on the end next to Filch (no one else wanted to sit near her), was Dolores Umbridge in all her pink glory. This particular set of robes was not as bubblegum shaded as the ones Harry and Hermione had been treated to, but were rather a "rose pink" and made the woman resemble a strangely colored tomato.

When Albus introduced her as the new History teacher, the woman rose and began speaking, something unheard of for new staff to do.

"My dear students, as Professor Dumbledore told you, I am the new professor for your classes on the History of Magic; but I am also the under-secretary to the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge and have a great deal of influence. I will be making sure that the classes being taught here follow the Ministry's set guidelines and will be reporting to the Minister of magic himself, Cornelius Fudge." She was so busy making sure everyone knew how important she was Umbridge never noticed the eyes being rolled at her comments about Fudge. "I will also be making sure that certain…shall we say, unsavory characters…are not overstepping their bounds nor exercising unusual influence over our magical young whose minds are so impressionable. Rest assured that I will be in regular contact with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, to make sure he knows exactly how this school is being run."

Umbridge stopped and looked around the Great Hall, obviously expecting applause for her little speech and was greeted instead with silence and hostile stares. She blinked several times in confusion before announcing, "This concludes my introduction as your new professor and the under-secretary to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge." Her bulging eyes swept the room again, waiting for some kind of recognition and the only sound to be heard was the sudden chirping of crickets which cause the students to titter softly even as they looked around to see who had conjured them up.

Dumbledore quickly called out, "Tuck in!" and the tables were filled with food. Conversations started back up and the Hall rang with the sounds of excited children eagerly looking forward to a new year filled with magic. Older students welcomed the new first years and encouraged them to introduce themselves and talk a bit about their families and background. Several stared in awe at Harry who fidgeted and flushed at the attention until Hermione, seated on one side of him, bumped him with her shoulder and gave him a grin.

Ron on the other side smirked at his friend and hissed, "You ought to jump up on the table and pull your wand; see how many of these kids dive under the tables to escape the Defeater of the Dark Lord."

Across from the Golden Trio, Seamus, Neville, and the Weasley twins snickered while Ginny glowered at her brother, "Sure, Ron, foster the fear rather than negate it."

Harry just shook his head, "I'm planning on just ignoring the stares as much as I can. Hopefully they'll all have something else to gawk at and talk about with Umbridge on the loose."

Things wound down and prefects gathered up tired children to guide them to their respective new homes and settled them in. In their tower, Harry and Hermione watched and chatted with Ron as he unpacked his trunk, having done theirs earlier. He was almost done when a voice rose up the stairs, "All Gryffindors please report to the common room."

Recognizing the summons of their Head of House, the older students hurried down, collecting younger ones as they went and everyone either found places to sit or stood in the back of the room in respectful silence. The first years were gently nudged to the front of the group and encouraged to sit on the floor. Sirius stood just inside the portrait hole with his hands clasped behind his back as he waited patiently for everyone to gather.

Once he counted them all up silently, the handsome Lord smiled down at the youngest ones, "Welcome to Gryffindor, I am Sirius Black, your Head of House. If you have any questions or problems, please come to me with them so I can help you get comfortable in your new home. You may also talk to any of the older students and they will do what they can to assist you as well. In the morning, you will each receive your schedule for the semester so you know what classes you have and when; for now, there is a list of House and Hogwart's rules here on the board you will need to read and become familiar with." He gave them directions to the Marauder's Quarters so they would know where they could find him when he wasn't in his classroom or office and also provided them with days and times of when he would be teaching or had open hours for them to seek him out.

"Are there any questions?" Sirius waited for several heartbeats and smiled at the slightly dazed look most of the newest children wore, "Then I will bid you all goodnight and see you in the Great Hall in the morning. Harry, would you step outside with me, please?"

"Yes, sir," the teen responded as he picked his way through to the door his father held open for him and let swing shut once he was through.

The man chuckled, "I forget just how small firsties are, especially when compared to how much you've grown since third year."

Harry grinned back at him, "I know. I've always been the smallest one growing up, but I look at those kids and think I could squish them if I don't watch where I'm walking or sitting!"

The canine animagus' bark-like laugh rang out at the picture in his mind, "Too true, son!" He smiled down at the boy and rested his hands on the thin shoulders, "Really, I called you out here so I could tell you goodnight before you went and stayed up half the night celebrating with your friends. I've gotten used to having you close over the summer, I'll miss being right by you; but I know you're glad everyone's back and the school year is starting."

The young wizard leaned into his father's chest and wrapped his arms around the trim waist while resting his ear over the strongly beating heart, "I'll miss having you so close, too, dad, but I love you and I had a great summer." He listened to the reassuring beat for a minute before lifting his head to meet grey eyes flecked with green, "It's going to be a great year, dad. With Voldemort gone and Draco and I not feuding anymore, everything's going to be great, just you wait and see!"

"I hope so, son, I certainly hope so, for all our sakes." Sirius hugged his son tightly for a moment longer before releasing him and nudging him back to the portrait hole, "Good night, Harry, I love you."

"Night, dad, love you more!" Harry slipped back inside and raced up the steps to the room he shared with his yearmates who were already starting the party with treats snuck from the kitchens and jokes provided by the twins.

The year truly started with a bang as miniature fireworks lit up the inside of their dorm room and the boys celebrated their return to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

And so ends another story for the muse and I. We want to thank everyone who encouraged us to continue writing in this series and for the suggestions made to help us improve in different areas.

I apologize for the delay in the chapters and hope that this final round submitted today makes up for some of it. My only excuse is that spending two months searching for and purchasing a new house followed by a frantic two weeks of packing and cleaning of the old place proved to be more than this pudgy and tired body could take!

As I stated in a few chapters, I took several liberties with different things (such as the story of King Arthur and _Phantom of the Opera_) and I'm sorry if they differ from the readers perceptions, but this is a work of fiction and should be treated as such.

Again, many thanks to you all and, until next time, happy reading!

Nikani


End file.
